Mixed Blessings a Cat Tail
by Kaeru Shisho
Summary: The GW boys are all cats finding their little paws in the big, bad world. For Dyna Dee.
1. Chapter 1

**Mixed Blessings ~:~ Cat Tails**

Summary: The GW boys are all cats finding their little paws in the big, bad world.

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters. I make no monetary profit off this story; in fact, I've been offered money _not_ to post this, heh, heh.

Warnings: AU, male/male pairings of a most ridiculous nature; told from Quatre's point of view, so beware the fluff.

A/N: The author needs her head examined, as does her friend and editor, Waterlily, who suggested it, but I wrote it just the same in order to make you laugh and as an eleven chapter gift to Dyna Dee!

_Cats always seem so very wise, when staring with their half-closed eyes._

_Can they be thinking, "I'll be nice, and maybe she will feed me twice?"_

_- Bette Midler_

**Chapter 1 -****Dust Kitten**

I love my new house!

It is so big! But then, so am I, now.

I still remember my first home, and I loved that one, too, although the memories are fading. Miss Iria and I lived in a tiny apartment in a big city, where she was a terribly important doctor. I spent many hours by myself, exploring, so I knew every square inch of our home. My favorite spot was a thick cushion on a tall stand by a tall window. I could look out and see just how big a city it was. Buildings rose out of the land for as far as I could see.

I do miss my secure little home there, where everything was in its place and I slept on her big bed, near the foot so I could look out the door into the darkness.

And then there came the terrible move, the details of which I have put out of my mind, but it brought us to the new house in the country. I know it is not the city, because when I look out from my new special spot, on the same cushion but now it's on a wide, low window sill, I see living things. My picture window looks out into another world of giant green plants very unlike the neat, potted ones Miss Iria grew before.

Many things are different, I'm discovering, and not all good, and some things are scary. Miss Iria is happy; Rashid has told me so, and he is very knowledgeable about the ways of people, so I know I will be happy, too, in no time! I watch my mistress leave every morning to drive to her little clinic. It's all her own and it makes her content and she sings now.

From my comfy perch, I watch the birds outside. Unlike dear Rashid, the giant macaw that's my friend and who watches me all the time, the wild birds fly and sometimes sing. Rashid talks, but he doesn't sing. He tells me that's a good thing for his kind of bird. He says he can fly, but he has no need to because our mistress tends to his needs very well. I don't think he can. Why would a bird walk when he has those marvelous wings and can fly?

I'd fly if I could! I can leap! I leaped from the tall stand in the apartment almost all the way to the table where Miss Iria set out her pictures. At the last second, I could see I was short a whisker, so I grabbed at the drapery to slow my fall. I'll never do that again! Miss Iria scolded me for "ruining her organza drapes!" They looked fine to me, and I don't think she understood how clever I'd been avoiding injury, but I never tried that leap again.

I always obeyed her rules. I was and am a very good cat. She calls me Cat, or Good Kitty.

It took me two days to explore nearly all the rooms of this new house. Some of the doors were closed, so I didn't go in, yet, but I will. I'm not a kitten any more so I am more cautious, a great deal cleverer, and far smarter. I will find a way past those doors. I have discovered that, although I may be able to wedge my body through the gap behind the stove and into that little drawer filled with pots and pans, the reverse path is slightly more difficult to navigate.

I knew everyplace and everything in the little apartment and felt so safe there. When I go exploring in this new place, there are new dangers at every turn. New pieces of furniture I mustn't scratch. I must be more careful where I go and what I touch.

Only a few days ago, I was drowsing at the window, lulled into a pleasant sleepy-wake state while watching clouds collect into dark masses, when a crack of thunder and flash of lightening woke me with a start. Every muscle had tensed, my fur stood on end, and I was two feet in the air! The instant all four of my little paws landed on the floor, I was dashing for the safety of Miss Iria's room.

A new chest in the hallway had an old smell, a wonderful smell, and when I dashed by, I noticed one of the carved doors was ajar; I slipped a paw inside and pulled. If I can get my head inside, the rest of my body will follow with no problem, and that's just what I did. Inside were piles of lovely, soft things that felt like fur and smelled faintly of the perfume Miss Iria has worn. Dark and quiet, no bright lights or loud bags would disturb me there! I knew it was my finest discovery ever, and so I pushed and pulled and molded myself a cozy nest, and curled up for a much needed, and completely deserved, nap.

I woke up in the dark. Not even a sliver of light from a crack in the door helped me see. I couldn't get out! The space was so small and the door closed tight. I panicked! I clawed and scratched and cried and finally Miss Iria rescued me. I was so relieved to be found and free that I didn't mind that the door was closed and locked, preventing me from going inside ever again. Not that I don't test it every now and then. Just in case.

I'm confident that I'll master this house eventually, and when I do I'll love it as much as the tiny apartment.

But I do miss my special, secret bed.

(o)

A Mister Tam moved into the house. Rashid has told me that he and Miss Iria are "in love." I wouldn't know. The man shares Miss Iria's room. I had to move out, and I don't understand why. There was plenty of room in that huge bed for all three of us! I was willing to share.

They made me a bed of my own from a folded, worn blanket stuffed into a basket and shoved into the laundry room. At least it is warm! I know I'll grow accustomed to all the changes, and I am grateful to have a place that is just for me, but at first I felt dreadfully put out and moped around.

Mister Tam must have felt some remorse, though, because he brought me a bowl of pretty fish to look at.

I must not touch them.

Master called them "Specimen Angelfish," a funny name. They shimmer and stare back at me and wave with their very fine fins, and I wave back. They swim and hide then. I think it's a game we play. Rashid thinks they are a waste of space. I don't see why. The house is huge and he's not crowded at all. He says I don't understand, but I do. He doesn't like sharing attention. He's been a pet of Miss Iria's for twenty years!

I'm only two! But I'm a cat, not a kitten. Most of my coloring has come in, which means I'm quite nearly grown up. Iria told me so.

"You are a Birman red-point, little Cat."

I was born white with big round, blue eyes that will remain that way all my life, she told me. I can't imagine that. I started developing my colors right away, and now my real color is complete "at two years old and after a wintry season." I'm light, with a golden cast, as if misted with gold. My "points" - face, legs and tail - are peachy. My feet, I'm told, are very distinctive white and symmetrical. The perfect little gloves on my front feet go across in an even line, and on the back feet end in a point up the back of the leg, called laces. It is difficult to breed a cat with perfect white gloves and laces, Miss Iria told me, but that was what made me especially special. The best of the litter!

And the only boy.

I don't remember all those sisters, but I do remember many soft purring bodies curled up to mine. I wondered what happened to them? I'm sure they have nice homes, too.

Miss Iria bought a piano for Mr. Tam to play. I loved the music that overwhelmed my ears and made me tingle and hum inside. When I joined them in song, however, I must not have chosen the right notes. Mr. Tam shushed me from the room after the first verse. I hadn't even delivered my best—I'd been saving that for the chorus!

Rashid recommended that I sing in the laundry room where my harmonies could be better appreciated. I didn't sing harmonies, though! "I was attempting to reinterpret the melody in asynchronous discord!"

"Perhaps you should re-think that decision for future sing-a-longs."

Rashid knew everything.

(o)

Sometimes one day flowed into the next in a way that melted time into one big puddle. Water lay heavy on my mind. I lay curled comfortably on my shelf gazing out the window. Rain poured down. "It's so dreary, Rashid."

Miss Iria had moved in a new perch for the large bird so he could look out the window and climb about, _uncaged_. I liked having him close for company, but I think even more than that I liked the layers of paper Miss Iria placed under the stand. Rashid just used the paper to mess, but I loved to scratch at the edges. If my nails weren't so closely trimmed, I'm certain I could have shredded all the paper in only a minute. As it was, though, I could only tear off a few scraps to send skittering across the floor. Miss Iria liked a tidy house and didn't like me to "make a mess", so I learned to pack my papers bits under the couch for safe keeping.

"That it is," he agreed, "But not everywhere. There are places where dry sand stretches for as far as you can see."

_Immense _litter boxes.

I had heard his tales before, about faraway places he'd lived in the past. I hardly knew whether or not to believe him, but that didn't matter; I loved to listen. "Tell me about them."

"Very well." He ruffled his feathers and drew himself up while gathers a deep breath. "The wind blew the sand into giant drifts, taller than this house—"

As I listened, I imagined myself frolicking in the sand under the hot sun until I reached a tent with a bowl of cool water to drink and a soft cushion to nap on.

It would have been the best nap, except that Miss Iria was upset when she came home. She and Mr. Tam shouted about a dead mouse she discovered on the doorstep. A mouse! There were no mice in her home and would be none—"_Cat_ will see to that!" she assured him. "He's probably found a way out and left this."

Oh! Oh, dear! A mouser? Me? Oh, no. Rashid had taught me the ways of the pacifist. Not that I can't fight or won't under the right circumstances. The true warrior who chooses to be a pacifist is willing to stand and die for his principles, Rashid told me. I'm no coward, but I won't kill little animals just for the sport. I promised Rashid to refuse to kill, injure or otherwise cause suffering to another creature, unless it was to defend the lives of others.

"You think so?" Mr. Tam asked. He didn't sound convinced that I was capable. "I doubt that animal would know which end of a mouse is which, but, if you'd like, I'll fix that cat door in the garage for him."

_What cat door was that, _I wondered? But more worrisome was the mouse issue. What would I do _should_ I come across a mouse in the kitchen? I'm sure I could give it a strong talking to and convince it to leave, and to take all its friends and family with it. I can look very fierce, if need be.

I really hoped I'd never encounter a mouse.

(o)

I awoke the next day to the bright rays of sun on my back. No rain! The only thing on my mind was the "cat door." All thoughts of _mousies_ had dried up in the clear light of day. I toured the quiet house all the way to the door to the garage, where mistress and master house their cars. The door stood open a crack, clearly and invitation to enter. One push was all it required of me. I'd been a perfectly wonderful little Cat all week, surely this was my reward!

I didn't much care for the cold place smelling of oily cars and stacked high with boxes, none open. Then I discovered a little round door just for me! It had to be! People were far too big to use it!

I pushed on the flap and peeked out into the OUT-OF-DOORS.

I had never been there.

A breeze tickled my nose with fascinating smells, few of which I could identify and all of which enticed me to step out the door and explore the possibilities.

The sound of a car engine was followed by the noise of the garage door opening. Not today! I wouldn't be going out today. In an instant I'd turned tail and dashed back into the house, scurrying to my porcelain food bowl, which was beautifully embellished in gold with my name. I couldn't actually read the lettering, but I knew that it was mine.

And there I would wait to be served my turkey and liver, minced, not chunked. No outside adventures for me. Rashid had warned me. "Curiosity kills the Cat," he'd say, repeating the moral conclusion to some parable he'd learned. It had kept me in line as a kitten, but I was grown up now. I was a cat ready to fend for myself, if I had to!

Tomorrow, perhaps.

No, Tomorrow _for sure_, I promised myself, if only a step or two, I _would_ go outside.

And this time _two_ mice lay dead by the back door when Miss Iria arrived home.

(o)

Oh my! Outside was so very large a place!

I decided to take it all in slowly. I crawled all the way out and sat only inches from the opening. That way I could dash back in at a moment's notice should it be necessary.

What a pretty day it was! I hadn't known what a lovely sound leaves made when they slid against one another. And the sun! It was even nicer on my fur in contrast to the cool air.

I sat and watched.

For a long, long time.

First, I couldn't take in everything so I concentrated on a leaf being blown around. The motion fascinated me. Was it alive? It acted alive but it didn't smell alive. I trotted closer and batted at it. No. It was not alive.

A butterfly fluttered past. It didn't move at the whim of the breeze; it was without a doubt alive. I couldn't resist it! Off I went, chasing the ephemeral thing, jumping, leaping scampering across the cement patio and out onto the soft green grass. Oh! I loved the feel of that on my paws.

Suddenly, the world spun around as I went topsy-turvy, tripping over the plastic snake, "the hose". I knew _the hose_. I'd seen it spitting water before, but I hadn't noticed it slinking across the lawn like that until I'd caught a paw, then over I went.

"Ha, ha, ha! What a goofus!"

What?! "Who said that!" I was a little frightened, frankly. Someone had been watching me unseen. Rashid had told me it was my job to defend my territory, which I took to be my house and garden. I took Rashid's teachings to heart and decided that taking a tough stance against the brigand was better than a friendly approach. "Where are you? Come out, coward, and meet me face to face!"

"Hey, dude, chill, okay? I was just screwing with your head. You can draw those claws, such as they are. Fancy-ass trim jobs. Really. Relax. You actually made a cool somersault, which reminded me of another cat I've seen sniffing around lately. You're not with the circus, are you?"

Okay. This wasn't going to require me to defend myself, I could tell, so I sorted out what the other cat had said and answered back as accurately as I could. He spoke an unfamiliar dialect, so I may have misunderstood some of what he'd said. I did not misinterpret his intentions, though. I could feel his happy spirit and general bonhomie.

"I'm so sorry! I-I do go to a groomer for a manicure, if that's what you meant about my claws, and I have never, ever been to the circus, much less been a part of one. Do you really think my somersault was… cool? Is that good?"

"Yeah, I do, and, yeah, it is. You're new around here, huh?"

"Not too new. I moved in several weeks ago, but this is my first time outside. Do you live nearby?"

"Sure do! Right next door, so to speak, since the houses are far apart that means over that fence, across the field, 'round the pond, and… a bit further off. I'll show you sometime. Du-ude, this place is awesome."

I was very proud of my home, the pretty trees, and lovely flowers. "Thank you. My name is Cat, by the way."

"Duo, at your service!"

We touched noses. His was cool and moist. His eyes were very large and blue.

"You have very soft fur," I told him. He seemed pleased that I'd noticed and purred.

"Maine coon and probably a bit of Siamese tossed into the mix, 'cause of the eye color, or so I've been told."

"Oh, Maine coons are a wonderful breed. Very hardy." He was very amusing, but also extremely attractive with a distinctive heavy, smooth, shaggy coat. "I can imagine the Siamese contributes to your vocalization as well."

"My…what? Eh, no matter. The fur's a headache in summer or fall! Gotta love fall with all the ticks and burrs that get tangled up from the meadow."

"Oh that doesn't sound nice at all!"

"Lucky for me I got my bud to help with the grooming, and then come winter, long fur comes in handy, but then you'd know that. You're a pretty kitten."

"I'm NOT a kitten! I've got my colors!"

"Hey, sorry! No harm intended, okay?"

"Oh, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. It's just a sensitive point with me, being the youngest of a very large litter."

"Like I said, no harm, no foul and all."

"Thank you. You are very gracious. And thank you for the lovely compliment. Do you come out frequently?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm outside most of the time looking for some action…er… friends to play with, you know?"

"Some cat friends would be lovely to have," I said, sighing.

"Well, count me as your first-and-foremost friend. Say, you got anything to drink around here?"

"I have my water bowl inside—"

"Looka _this_!"

I scampered to Duo's side where he was already head down in a pool of water, but not just any pool. "That's Miss Iria's special Water Garden!"

He looked up, licking his face. "It's a rock with a hole that collects water. Don't get fussy."

Well, it was, of course, just that. And I was starting to sound like a fuss-budget. Rashid warned me to curb that habit, but it was Miss Iria's rock with a hole in it!

The harm was done, though. I tried to cover Duo's muddy footprints with leaves as he sauntered off to sit in a sunny spot oh, so near the pretty flowers that I knew, just _knew,_ Miss Iria must have cherished because she spent time tending them.

"Oh, Duo, be careful!"

He wasn't particularly careful, but it was nothing I couldn't fix, and then we set to a good thorough cleaning and long stretch.

I felt completely exhausted of all my energy and watching Duo drop languidly under the dapple shade, beckoning me to join him, was just too much to fight. I drifted off to sleep in the comfort of another cat's warm fur and deep purr, a luxury I hadn't shared since cuddling with my sisters in my kittenhood. I could hear the rustling of leaves and crow caws in the far distance, but mostly it was the drone of Duo's purr that lulled me to sleep.

(o)

You can imagine my distress, then, to find myself rudely awakened by a heavy weight on my ribcage and the snarling, hissing of a cat! My eyes flew open to see teeth bared and enraged, blue eyes in my face.

Was I afraid? Not immediately. "This is MY home!" I yowled. "Get off me!"

The stranger did not move, but he blinked. I struggled to get up enough to discover he was terribly strong and heavier than I. He knew it, too, and the grimace on his face turned to a cruel smile, for a second. Just as I was going to sink my claws into whatever part of him I could reach, the funniest thing happened. A furry paw one with long hairs feathering from between the toes came from out of nowhere and boxed my attacker in the muzzle.

I had totally forgotten about Duo.

"Get off, you big lug!" he shouted.

I watched my new friend and the stranger tussle in a blur of brown and grey and white. The fight was over quickly with, thankfully, no blood and very little loss of fur—all Duo's.

Duo reached up and swiped away some of his light fur from Heero's whiskers. "Totally uncalled for!"

The stranger blinked and sat back on his haunches. "Why?"

"Because he's a new buddy! Geez! For the love of _Bastet_, did I look like I was in trouble?"

"No," the stranger replied sulkily. "You were snuggled together."

"Cat napping, right. Warm sun, nice day—who wouldn't wanna nap? And then you come along and—"

"Never nap with a stranger; you _know_ that rule," Heero interrupted. "And you went exploring alone—"

"Just one moment," I interjected. I'd had time to gain my composure and felt it was time to assert myself. "You know this cat?" I asked Duo.

"Yeah, let me introduce to you my buddy, Heero."

Heero didn't look me in the eye. He looked me over and over, making me uncomfortable, and then settled his blue glare on Duo.

"I'm Miss Iria's Cat and this is my back yard. You have no right to come here and attack me, do you understand? As for setting rules-"

Duo was snickering. The entire scene might have appeared a little comical at the moment, but tough and strong as the chocolate cat was he wasn't any bigger than either Duo or I. I had to defend my territory or lose it!

To my amazement, it worked, even though I completely lost my train of thought.

"I'll go," Heero said and casting a lingering look, a mournful one, at Duo before he turned to leave.

"Aw, geez, 'Ro. It's not like that. Don't you see? Cat and I, we're just buds. He's not… well, he's not a kitten, but he's pretty young, if you get my drift. Not experienced like you and me. He needs protection."

_I did not!_ I was fully prepared to defend myself, but one look at my carefully groomed claws and I knew I was not. Compared to Heero's sharp fangs and claws like steel blades, I could tell I was in no shape to take on the mature ruffians that might be lurking outside.

Not yet.

"That's right. Stand down, soldier." Duo's words worked like magic to mollify the other cat. And then he licked his face. More than once.

Heero began to purr. "Protection. I can do that."

"Sure you can. You're the best. You are a survivor. You an' me, we'll keep the others away until Cat here can do the job alone, okay?"

All the bristling fur settled into place and I felt able to "stand down" as well.

"Hey, dude! You brought me a treat!"

To my horror, in his teeth Duo held up a teeny-weeny grey mouse by the tail. It swung slightly to and fro, nearly dead. But not quite, just stunned, I was thinking.

I pounced, knocked the mouse free, sending it sailing through the air. Before the others could catch it again, I was hustling the dear mousey under a log.

"Hey! That was mine!"

I turned on Duo. "You should be ashamed, hurting a defenseless wee mouse like that. You were going to play with it, torture it, weren't you?!"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, probably. It's a _mouse_, or _was _a mouse." Duo eyed the log, and then me clearly angry. "Why'd you do that for?"

"Because you didn't need the nourishment and it's cruel to hurt weaker animals for sport. You appear well fed." I really didn't know what his circumstances were and suddenly I feared I'd taken away his lunch! "You do get plenty to eat, don't you?"

"Don't get your dander up, Duo," Heero was laughing. "You sure know how to pick them!"

Duo looked from him to me as if he wasn't sure which of us to tear into first, and then he completely shed the anger and grinned. "Guess it was the thought that counts anyway, huh? Thanks, 'Ro, for the treat. And **you**!"

I scuttled backwards a few strides. "Me?"

"Yeah, you. You gotta lot to learn about being a cat."

The nerve of him! Who did he think he was talking to me in that manner? Duo, telling me about manners and Heero setting rules for behavior in my territory! They were both too bossy. Of course, it was my own fault. If I didn't stand my ground, what else should I expect?

"You think you are qualified to teach me about feline behavior?" I told him in my most refined voice. "You aren't any older than I am, and I suspect you haven't experienced life more than a few miles from your home." Take that! "I've lived in the big city with towering building, glass, and rock everywhere."

Duo was no longer speaking to me, but Heero offered a comment in his place. "No rats or mice where you lived?"

"I'm sure there were plenty, birds, too, but unless you were a stray having to hunt for your every meal, then you _must _learn to live and let live. I'm a firm believer in the ideal of pacifism."

Again, it was Heero who spoke. "I understand. I'm a reluctant soldier who feels sorry when I am forced to kill."

Oh, yes! "There is nothing more valuable than life in this universe." *

Duo snorted. "Yeah, sure. In your fantasy world, all the beasts of the land love one another."

"Well, it would be nice, wouldn't it, if it were true? It can start with us, here."

"Only peaceful relations, huh?" Duo chuckled and looked to Heero for support. "Wait till Wufei gets a load of that!"

How many blood-thirsty pussycats were there out here? "Who is Wu-Fei? Another cat?"

"Oh, he's a cat all right. Definition of a real sourpuss. Pompous ass, too." Duo mumbled that last part so I might have misunderstood the breed name.

I don't think so, though.

"You'll meet him soon enough," Duo assured me with confidence.

I wasn't at all sure I wanted to meet this Woo-Fay.

"You might wanna let those nails grow out a bit in the meantime."

"I might—what?"

"Do what I do and stick to the carpets and avoid the hard floors at home. You know, don't let the humans hear the nails click-tick-tick and you might get away with developing some real extra claw length."

"I'd like that." But not to pick on weak little creatures or pretty birds (Wouldn't Rashid have a fit if he found out I caught a bird!). I was thinking about the need to defend myself. "What about—?" I began to ask, but Duo's attention was on Heero.

"Eh, what's that, 'Ro?"

"Relena's… calling me." He didn't sound excited at all. His eyes narrowed and he stared into the distant bushes. "I'll take care of this."

"And Relena is yet _another_ cat?" I asked. "There are an awful lot of cats in the area, aren't there?"

"More than you think," Duo said, intent on Heero's departure. "Relena's a pampered Persian in a house with dozens of them. One of those dreaded cat breeders. She likes 'Ro."

He said something more, but a quick movement in the trees caught my attention. A shadow flitted from limb to limb, disappearing into the dark and reappearing many feet further seconds later.

Whatever is that? I was about to ask Duo what he thought, when a pair of squabbling squirrels shot out of the canopy. "Oh! Just squirrels… no, Duo! Don't chase them!"

On the other side of the shrubbery, I heard Heero's low _mau_ and then an answering one and then what sounded like a fight. "I'm lucky to have a friend like Heero to chase off the bad cats," I said to no one in particular. "Duo, too. They're violent and dangerous, but they're all really nice guys."*

(o)

A few days of rain kept me indoors. Not that I minded the rain. I am not a _pussy_ about getting wet! I've tolerated baths before. Just. Miss Iria didn't want muddy footprints- that was all. So, I watched from my window seat, where I saw absolutely no sign of the other cats outside toughing it out in the showers, either. Both Duo and Heero appeared groomed and fed and cared for, so I was positive they were spending their days sleeping like I was. I imagined them snoozing in perches like mine and wondered if they lived in the same house. They hadn't shared a thing about their home life.

When I nibbled at my kibble, which tasted so bland I moved over to my chopped giblets, I pictured my new friends having a snack like mine—from a box or can and not caught on the run.

"I hope theirs is tastier than mine today," I said, giving my bowl one last sniff before refusing it. "Nothing tastes right."

I had to admit the nice, fat rat Miss Iria found, dead, by the door, gave off an enticing aroma, but it wasn't I who killed it!

"Wake up, Rashid, and tell me a story about the dry litter box land you came from."

"Er, eh?"

"It's _still_ raining cats and dogs," I wined.

"Not…" Rashid lowered his voice to a whisper to say, "…dogs…" His beady eyes glared at me from under the brightly colored fringe of feathers. "Do not suggest such a thing. It might bring them upon us. Now, what is so important that it required you to awaken me?"

Now, I felt a little bad to disturb the grumpy bird. "Tell me a story? If you would, please?"

"What? You know all my stories. Find something constructive to do. There must be some bit of paper you can paw about and leave me to rest. Where are your new friends you've been squawking about incessantly?"

"Duo and Heero aren't out in this weather either." Thinking about them perked me up temporarily. "Duo is so easy to like. He's friendly and curious and affectionate and adventurous, and a little shy as well. Heero is still a little stand-offish with me, but he adores Duo, I can tell."

"I know, I know," Rashid cut in when I took a breath. "You told me all that before. Go… take a nap and leave me to mine, now. I'm an old macaw, dear kit."

For the first time in my life, I grew bored after simply padding about my home and having to view the world outside through the picture window. A box seat no longer satisfied me; I wanted the real thing.

**TBC**

* These are direct quotes from Quatre R. Winner in the GW series.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mixed Blessings ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Con-cat-enation_

_My digestive passages have formed a furball._

_Wherefore has this happened to me?_

_From whence could this have come?_

_I shall leave it here upon the carpeting._

_A gift from the Gods._

_Listen for the joyful discovery!_

_Watch them bow and scrape!_

—_from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 2-: Puuurfect Friends**

The next evening the rain ceased and Miss Iria and Mr. Tam went out "for dinner". She was excited and giggly and wore her noisy shoes that clicked on the wood floors.

I was relieved to hear her happy voice again. She hadn't been happy at all when she came home to a dead dove decorating the doorstep! From the odd look she had given me, I believe she suspected me of killing the bird! Me?! I didn't do it!

Rashid told me that she and Mr. Tam had an angry argument in their room, but hadn't been able to make out the words. I could only guess. I hid in the laundry room until they left.

There, with very little else to do but let my mind wander, I wondered if it would be fun to go outside. Of course it would! Immediately I skittered across the newly cleaned and waxed floors to check the door to the garage.

"Yay!" Exiting would be easy, since the door had been left ajar; although, I'd found a way to jiggle the handle to open it by this time anyway.

An overheard light by the back porch shone dimly, providing more than enough light to see by. I required very little and pranced lightly across the bricks, avoiding the wettest spots. I stopped at the edge of the soaked grass and nosed at it.

"Ugh!"

The wind blew tattered clouds across the dark night sky. Trees cast shadows when they bent and the quaking leaves made me jumpy. I shivered.

"Hey! He's here!" I heard Duo's shout from beyond the shrubbery.

"Duo!" How wonderful! "I'm outside. The grass is nasty, though."

His pale chest ruff appeared out of the gloom, and I could hear another cat, who I guessed must be his friend. All I could see of Heero were his eyes reflecting the patio light; they narrowed at me then immediately looked away, ears pricked.

Duo bounded across the lawn, touching down nimbly before jumping up again, picking up droplets as he went. "Whew! Yeah, well, that's what fur's for, you know, protection from the elements."

"Long fur can mat, though," I pointed out.

"Eh, mat, schmat," Duo said in an odd chirp.

I'd never heard voices like his and Heero's before and I wondered if all breeds spoke differently.

As Duo sat and began licking at his damp fur, I noticed how very large and round Duo's paws were and tufted, well-designed for cleaning and the cold, I supposed. I could tell only the outer layer was dampened, which relieved me a little, knowing I'd been right thinking that he and Heero had been indoors out of the elements. The way he worked at removing the water without further comment, though, told me how much getting damp really did bother him—a lot more than he'd let on. Heero must have noticed, too, because he leaned over and helped lick the spots that were hard for Duo to reach. Such a thoughtful friend he could be!

"I like the little dark tufts of hair on your ear tips," I told him politely.

I suppose I had lavished Duo with too much attention, because Heero asserted himself between us. Although he wasn't as large a cat as Duo, he was far more imposing in nature.

But I knew with Duo there he wouldn't hurt me, so I stood my ground and purred sweetly. When he didn't move, I leaned closer and licked his nose. "There! We are proper friends now."

I think that startled him to his toes. His ears twitched, and I even think I could detect a purr rattling inside his chest.

"It just occurred to me-" I looked from Duo to Heero and back again, attempting to guess if what I was about to say might anger them. I decided to chance it. "That first day I met you, you wondered if Heero had brought you a snack, a living mouse?"

"I hadn't," Heero said. "Duo accidently rolled over and suffocated it when he was sleeping."

"Yes, well, something's been puzzling me," I started off carefully picking out my words. I didn't want them to think I was wrongly accusing either of them.

"Spit it out, Cat," Duo urged me.

"Oh, yes, well, you see, I just put things together, and I am curious—not accusatory, mind you-!"

"Cat! What is it?"

I gathered my wits and found my voice. "You, neither of you, haven't left me little… _treats…_ by the door, have you?"

They both shook their head. Duo looked bemused, "_You_ have a secret admirer."

"Oh no!" There was no one! There couldn't be!

"Maybe Relena's taking an interest in our pretty boy, eh 'Ro?"

"Unlikely." He shook off a few water droplets but didn't bother with the rest. Short hair must be nice at times. "You have no security installed," Heero said.

What was he talking about? "Pardon me? What's that?" I asked.

"Security," Heero repeated. "Do you not know what that is?"

"I certainly do! I have a very safe, comfortable home."

"He means electronic security," Duo explained. "It's something the humans put up around their buildings to keep the bad guys at bay."

"I don't understand. It's just a few mice, and a rat… although the little dove, that's a kind of bird, you know, the dead bird was so dreadfully awful. _What _bad guys?"

This question seemed to please Heero. Apparently I had discovered his area of expertise: our little neighborhood's guard cat. "What you have sounds like a security problem. There has been a rash of break-ins in the area. People are calling Odin enterprises for upgrades and new installations to their security."

"And you live in Mr. Odin's house?" I guessed—very cleverly, I thought.

"Of course!"

"Aw, 'Ro, how would he know? It was a good guess, Kitty Cat. Heero's main hobby is patrolling around his house trying not to set off Odin's security alarm system—"

_When he's not grooming your fur,_ I was thinking, _and making rules_.

"I'm studying it and testing it, idiot!"

"That's what I said. He's constantly trying to work it out."

"Not _constantly_-"

"Sometimes he ropes me into helping figure out how to get past the sensors."

"It is fascinating stuff."

"We'll have to show you the tiny cameras the human's got planted around. If you piss on them they spark!"

"You shouldn't do that, Duo. It makes him mad and he has to replace them."

"Heh, heh…yeah. That's too bad. I gotta get my jollies somehow, don't I?"

And then Heero's entire demeanor changed. His purr deepened and his body became fluid as he smoothed up against and swirled around Duo's fluffier body. "Leave your jolly-getting to me."

I recognized an inside joke when I heard one, so I looked away just in time to spot something moving in the trees near the fence. A streak, a blur, a shadow. Probably a squirrel. I opened my mouth to shout, but then remembered what happened the last time I pointed out a small animal to Duo. I didn't want to imperil this one's life and send Duo off to rout him, so I kept mute this time. The limb bent under a weight that meant it was a very big squirrel indeed. I thought maybe it might be something else, like an opossum or even a bear! Miss Iria was worried about both coming into our garden. She was worried about any creatures coming into her house, uninvited.

"Duo," I said in a low warning voice. I wanted to alert him to the strange animal in the trees.

Heero went to point, ears pitched to the left. He, apparently, heard something different. "Relena… again."

"Maybe I should meet this Relena cat," I suggested. "She wouldn't be annoying you so much if she had more friends to play with." It sounded reasonable to me.

Heero even nodded. "She might attach herself to you instead of me. It's worth the chance." And with that final word of dubious comfort, he bounded off in the direction of the hedge.

"Eh, don't let him get to you. He's a tricky one, but you see he's been brought up in a lab since he was in a kitten."

"Oh, my! Was he a test subject?" I didn't know exactly what that was, but I'd heard Miss Iria use the term and I know things were done to them. I know I never wanted to be one, that was for certain!

"Not that he's told me, but he didn't get to socialize with other cats. Makes him a little odd."

"You're very friendly and nice," I told Duo. "I assumed you two lived together in the same house."

"Oh, no, but our owners know each other. When Howard moved into the neighborhood, that's when I got to know Heero."

"Howard? You mentioned him before. Is he nice?"

"Yeah, he's a pretty crazy inventor and spends most of his time locked away in his lab like Odin, but not as much."

"So, you get out more?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm super adventurous and like it outside mostly to look for… friends to play with. This fur is great insulation, even in the snow."

"And you have natural snow-shoes!"

He held up a furry foot and we both laughed. "Sure do!"

"I bet you had dozens of siblings when you were little. Did Howard buy you as a kitten?"

At that, Duo looked sad, and I wished I could take back my question. Things had been going along so well!

"No. I, ah—"

"You don't have to say, if it is too terrible for you."

"Thanks, but I might as well get it over with. I don't remember too much, actually. Me and my brother escaped a house fire and hid in Howard's old car. That's how we got adopted."

I wondered where his brother was, and then he told me.

"Solo died of something shortly after, breathing problems after the fire, I think."

"I am so sorry, Duo."

"Yeah, me, too. He woulda liked you a lot. He liked snuggling in fur."

"Who wouldn't! We are so lucky to have long fur—when it's cold."

And then Duo made that cute, chirping sound again, making me laugh.

"Yeah, that's a characteristic of a Main Coon cat. See the "M" on my forehead? It's easy to remember; an "M" for Maine Coon."

"Yes, I remember you telling me that."

"And speaking of long hair… Here comes Relena, that irritating little Persian from the house of evil breeders. Ho! She found Heero, surprise, surprise."

"She seems to like Heero a lot."

"That she does. Always tagging along and then, well, you'll see. Just listen."

"What lovely yard this is! Oh, you must be the new cat!"

Relena was a perfectly groomed, gorgeous, young cat. Very well bred. I decided to be very courteous—she would expect that.

"I am and my name is Cat. So glad to make your acquaintance."

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr…ah… Cat. So, Heero, what are we doing tonight?"

"Duo and I are evaluating the security system on the property. I thought Cat should like to see what I have for comparison."

"Oh, that sounds terribly interesting!"

I could tell Relena was begging to come along and would possibly just join us, if permitted. Duo appeared cross. He didn't look as if he wanted her to interfere with his adventure.

"Listen, sister," he began, putting a little swagger into his walk, "we have plans to go see the cows, maybe even some horses, and you won't wanna go there, I can tell you."

"In that muddy field?! At night?! My fur will get all tangled and dirty! So will his! That might matter to him a lot, even though you, obviously, don't care what you look like."

"What makes you think I don't care?" Duo screeched, not unlike Rashid, come to think of it. "I groom myself all the time! You think you Persians got the market cornered on good grooming?"

"I am not a Persian! I'm an Angora-!" Relena opined.

"

Once again, I found my attention diverted to the treetops. Something, that same something I'd _felt_ before, was there, I just knew it!

"Duo! Heero! Something is up there watching us," I whispered. "Don't turn and look! You might scare it. I thought it was a squirrel—"

"It's probably rats," Relena said. "Mill tells me not to go out at night because the rats are active. They steal food and carry nasty awful diseases."

"I doubt that—"Duo started to say.

Heero cut him short with, "—You could be right, Relena. You should go home immediately before the rats go after you. I must check that my defense perimeter is not impaired. Rats can bite through the electrical lines."

That triggered the pretty Persian, no, _Angora,_ cat into near hysteria! It took Heero promising to escort her to her own yard to convince her to leave.

"She is excitable," I said to Duo when they had gone. "She seems lonely to me."

"Oh, yeah, she's excitable, all right, but lonely? I don't know how she can be lonely in a house full of other cats. If she gave Heero a breather, I wouldn't mind her snooping around as much. She was partially responsible for me and Heero getting to be friends, you know."

"Really? Tell me about how you met!"

"Well, the short of it is, she spotted 'Ro right off and just adored him. I'd had an eye on him for a few days but hadn't found a way to get close, so when I heard them strolling about, I hopped to and tried to interfere. Somehow Heero thought I was going to hurt her, I think, and batted me away. I ended up scratching Heero, not bad, but it earned me a little respect. You see, no cat had ever messed in his territory before, or dared to touch him. After that we got along swell." His smile faded with a not so nice memory. "Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"I was just remembering something less than great. Man, it was our first kiss and I starting hacking up furballs!"

_Kiss?_ I wondered about kissing between two friends and decided that the pair must be especially close. "And you are best of friends! Right?"

"Yeah, and you're one, too, Cat. You, too."

(o)

Although Duo's kind words made me feel all warm and ready to snuggle, I was eager to follow him to see where Heero lived. His garden wasn't very pretty. The lawn was weedy but mowed short and the plantings were minimal, just trees around the fence line. No wonder he liked to visit our properties! I felt bad for him, but then he didn't seem the least bit affected or embarrassed by it. I guessed that he probably never noticed all the beautiful flowers in my garden, or cared, so he wasn't missing anything.

"Here is camera one, as Odin labeled it."

I peered into a tiny, glass circle. "What does it do?"

Pleased by my question, Heero sat straight and purred softly. "It sees you and sends what it sees back to… a… device that stores it. Odin can look at the 'feed' at a later time to learn what happened in this location."

"A copy of me?"

"And everything else passing in front of the opening. I have seen him staring at the images. They are colorless, but otherwise exactly like. I've seen my face staring back at me."

"No!"

"Absolutely."

Unbelievable, but Heero was not the sort of cat you'd doubt, at least to his face. "Neat!"

Duo had hooked a paw under a thin, black, plastic snake—not a real one. "This is what the pictures go into all the way to the house."

That was ridiculous. I wasn't about to fall for that trick. "You're testing how silly a thing I'll believe, right?"

"Not at all. Hey, 'Ro! Can we go inside and see the 'playback'?"

"If the door is still open, we can go in. Odin locks me in at night to be safe, but after the rain he felt sorry for me and let me out," Heero explained.

Duo chuckled. "Yeah, he must have learned cat care from Howie: 'Is your cat running around madly today?' 'Why, yes, yes he is. Is yours?' "Damn thing is crazy as a loon, knocking things over, destroying my papers. What do you think has got into them?' 'Must be the weather. Been indoors for days. I say we toss them outside for the night. See how they like that!' 'Good idea, Howard. I… I-I… shall see to it… um… right away.'"

Heero had started licking Duo's ears. I found their intimate contact stimulating. I missed being groomed by another cat, my mother was a distant memory.

Duo purred. "I think the conversation went something like that."

"It may have been," Heero purred. "We did end up turned out about the same time. Follow me and avoid touching the metal tabs around windows and wires."

The cat door was open, so we crawled through the opening one at a time. I was last and had to sit and blink several times to adapt to the light after the darkness of the garden.

"I'm not promising a show. If the devices aren't running, there is nothing I can do to operate them."

"We know, babe. No expectations."

"Wire," Heero said, pointing out a very fine plastic snake the size of a mouse tail. One claw hooked it. "One bite and it's damaged."

"Did you bite one once?" I asked. I wasn't accusing him of being naughty. He'd simply left me hanging.

His eyes slid over me. "No."

"I did," Duo offered. "My bad. Not a tail."

As much as I wanted to inspect each and every room we passed, I feared they would leave me behind if I veered off course, so I pitter-pattered on my little, white-tipped toes as fast as I could. And still I barely kept up!

"This is the war room," Heero intoned in as serious a manner as I ever heard come from Rashid's beak. He got down to business immediately, showing me Odin's office.

"War?!" _What war?_

"Where Odin reviews his tapes, his audio feeds, and digital recordings. He is at war with the lawbreakers."

Duo calmly nosed around the room, not participating in our conversation. I suppose he'd seen it all before and, since there were no vermin to extract, was looking for the warmest spot to curl up. Clearly, Heero was not going to offer refreshments or Duo would be nosing around for that.

I caught the tail-end of Heero's remarks. "-monitors and controls the security,"

He sat upon a keyboard. I recognized it from one Mister Tam and Miss Iria typed on every day. "You shouldn't sit on that," I warned him. "It presses the keys that operate the box."

"I know that!" He spat at me.

"Chill, babe. You're a tetchy one tonight," Duo said as he smoothed up against the brown cat. His caress worked its magic again and Heero's bristling fur settled back into place.

I noticed, however, that Heero rose off the keyboard and stood to the side.

"I plan to spend more time learning how the 'computer' box works so that I, too, can see the information."

"Hey, 'Ro? Can we split now? I wanna show Cat the cows."

"That's in the field," Heero said. He stared out the window into the distance, quiet and thoughtful a moment. "Relena was right, it will be muddy."

"If it's too bad we can put it off then. I just wanna try."

"It's your fur. All right."

Heero may have been a little gruff, but it seemed to me that Heero didn't deny Duo very much of what he wanted.

I wasn't fond of the tall grass, leaping a fallen tree with its hidden skittering noises and landing in something soft and gooey. So when we came upon the field, grass and mud for as far as I could see, I was no longer feeling adventurous.

"What's out there?"

"Big animals," Duo announced, "Like cows and horses. And plenty of mice and moles to chase or dig for."

I patted the moist ground. "It's wet."

"I told you," Heero said. "Give it more time, Duo, to dry out."

It wouldn't do to become entangled in grass and wet earth and then put in an appearance at home. "If I come home dirty—" _What would Miss Iria say? What would she do? _ "I'll be given a … bath."

I had Duo's sympathy immediately. "_Bath?_" he even shivered. "I got you, man. Hate those. Okay. Message received loud and clear. We'll go home and try tomorrow afternoon? Sound good to you?"

I thought it was cute that he asked Heero before me. Duo needed Heero's approval like a kitten.

"Yes."

"It's fine with me, too," I said, laughing at them.

In the far distance, I could make out dark moving shapes the size of houses! The chill air brought the strong, fresh odors of animals and a low, "moooo" noise.

I shivered as much out of fear as with cold, probably more so considering all my fur. "I appreciate that," I said, and I meant it. I just might be able to take in all the new experiences in the light of day. Nice warm sun would change the scene from mysterious to pastoral. I hoped.

"We should walk him back," Heero commented.

"I would so appreciate that!" I said, acknowledging that had no idea which way was which.

"And it's pretty creepy cool in the dark, isn't it?" Duo chuckled and hurried ahead. He loved to be the leader, which was fine with me. With Heero playing rear guard, I felt neatly tucked in and safe. _Don't travel alone_, he'd warned.

"There's your fence," Duo said. "You'll be all right from here out."

"Oh, yes, thank you!" I was ever so grateful to them for their thoughtfulness and never once calling me a scaredy-cat. I really didn't think I was being uncommonly fearful, just wisely cautious.

Rather than climb the fence- I had my doubts about doing the job cleanly with my still very-trim claws- I pushed through the hedge. I ripped out a hunk of fur, which was painful and just the initial tug frightened me out of my wits. I thought I'd been trapped! I howled!

I hated losing that fur, but I was in a mad rush to get free. So, I was very edgy as I entered my garden and didn't feel all cozy and safe, my usual feelings of well-being, when I was home.

I didn't help that I heard strange sounds coming from the treetops. Not that I was in any way feeling particularly brave, but I felt the need to assert myself before running to safety indoors. A territorial instinct can lead one to doing the most incredibly stupid things, I was discovering.

"Go away!" I yowled in my biggest voice. "This is my home and you are not invited. Now go!"

This announcement was watched by a resounding crash of something heavy dropping out of the higher braches and landing on a lower limb.

The hair on my back rose. I wanted to bolt, but instead, my feet remained glued in place and I held my ground. I was curious what the creature was, of course, and I hadn't long to wait.

When it turned it's glowing eyes on me I recognized the masked face that went with the striped tail. A raccoon! A whopping big one!

And it had rows of sharp teeth for tearing flesh from bones and claws like Rashid's, and I knew how he could rip apart anything in a moment of ire!

What was I to do? I couldn't make it to the cat door if the raccoon wanted a piece of me, because he could just leap and be on me in a second. At the moment, he seemed to be sizing me up- dinner or disaster? As long as I didn't move it seemed to be a stalemate, although, in all reality, I knew that wouldn't last much longer.

I heard another voice, a scarier sound than any I'd heard yet, coming from the far fence. Whatever THAT was, it was coming closer. The raccoon's head immediately turned in that direction; its entire body went ridged and its fur was on end. Whatever creature the newcomer was it had to be terrible to alarm even this giant, full-grown raccoon!

Then came the snake-like hissing. Oh, my! I had never, ever been so frightened in all my life! But I couldn't move!

I stood entranced, until the raccoon's eyes went wide, ears flattened, and it lunged out of the tree, but not at me! It soared from the tree branch to the fence and from there, well, I can't say.

I did not investigate any longer. I didn't even think. I don't remember running. I came to as I dove for my little flap door entry into the garage and from there to my basket in the laundry.

Home at last. Safe and sound.

But what _was_ that? A gigantic snake hunting raccoons at night? I didn't want to imagine what that must look like, so I consoled myself thinking I'd question Duo and Heero sometime, but for the night I would think of comfy things, soft things, and safe and welcoming things.

(o)

The next day, as promised, I scooted out the door outside to meet Heero and Duo. The sun shone down on us in all its glory. I'd had my lunch and a nap and was ready to run with my friends. All thoughts of rogue raccoons and their snaky predators wiped clean away by the bright, happy sun.

We walked for miles, it seemed. I stopped paying attention to my surroundings and focused on where I stepped. I was avoiding a particularly fragrant pile of "processed grass" as Heero called the dung pile, when I ran into Duo's back leg. He'd come to a halt under a shady bower, the nature of which I hadn't determined. Yet.

"Boviniferous!" Duo cried out in his odd little chirpy voice.

"Bovine—what?" I asked. "Oh, _bovine_ means cow. I see… OH! My! It is so large!"

Our shady spot was the shade produced by a single cow. The animal towered overhead.

"We shouldn't stand under one," Heero said, moving to the side. "It might crush us."

I dashed ahead and turned in time to see a great big eye looking right at me. A big brown eye heavily curtained by the longest eyelashes I'd ever seen. "AH!"

"Moooo!"

Dear me, did I scat out of that field! So big, so loud, so… stinky!

I could hear Duo laughing behind me and I slowed to give him a piece of my mind. Try as I would, though, he just made me start laughing too. He meant well.

"So, I'm guessing you don't wanna see the horses, huh?"

"Are they big, too?"

"Taller."

"Loud?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Smelly?"

"Nailed them to a 'T'."

"No, thank you."

"Gotcha."

The cow scare brought back memories of the haunted night before- raccoons and giant snakes. "Have you ever fought a raccoon?"

"No," Heero answered for the both of them. "Stay away from them. They carry rabies."

I didn't know what "rabies" were. I hadn't noticed the raccoon in my tree carrying anything, but I had no problem wanting to stay clear of all raccoons, nevertheless. "I was planning on that, but one came into my garden last night as I was coming home."

"Big one?" Duo asked with an excited gleam in his eye.

"Very. I didn't know what to do, but then a horrible snake, at least, it sounded like a snake of gigantic proportions, chased it away."

"You saw a snake?" Heero's interest was piqued now.

"I didn't see it. I heard it hissing. The raccoon took off as if it's tail were on fire. So did I."

"Man, you have some cool adventures. I sure would like to have gotten a look at that snake. Maybe we out to go sniff around for it?"

"No." Heero make no further explanation and just trotted by him. "I'm going back for a drink of clean water."

I guessed that Heero didn't like snakes or raccoons or both and wished to avoid a confrontation. Yay, Heero!

"I'm thirsty, too," I said to move us in that direction and show Heero he had all my support.

"No need. There's a pond around here." Duo jumped upon a rock and looked around. "Hey, wouldya looka that!"

I looked in the direction Duo indicated and saw… nothing.

"Duo, leave him be," Heero suggested in a calm, controlled, almost bored voice.

"Oh, Heero, you know I'd love to, _just_ to please you, but I can't. I really, really can't."

And with that said, the big fluffy Maine Coon cat romped over the clumps of grass, heading for what I could see as taller clumps of grass.

"What is he doing?" I asked.

"Greeting another friend in a manner that will not be appreciated," Heero told me. "We should hurry to catch up."

So, I ran full speed ahead in time to see a pretty Siamese cat flipping something shiny over by the side of a muddy pond. I heard Duo. If one was in his wide-ranging vicinity, I guessed, one could always hear his voice.

And then Duo appeared to cuff him, sending the shiny object to the sandy shore. It was a fish!

"Don't hurt it!" I shouted, mostly at Duo who I thought had tried to steal it from the other cat, or possibly save it. With Duo, as sweet a cat as he was, one couldn't tell his motivation for certain. Duo had never tried to curb his inner cat. Antiviolence he wasn't. Not yet.

While I was marveling over the pretty, glistening fish flip-flopping its way back into the water, the Siamese, bristling with indignation, appeared ready to shred Duo. Heero raced between the cats, perhaps to stave off a cat fight before it started.

"That was very _kind_ of you to toss it back," Heero said. He made it sound like a threat.

"Are you insane, you-?!" The Siamese continued sputtering vindictive remarks of which all I could make out was: "The injustice! It was _mine_, _all mine_! I'll rip your head off for that!"

"Poor fish must have jumped out of the water. It would have died had you not batted it back." Heero said this very slowly, all the while holding the other cat's attention with his steady glare.

"Batted it back?! You think I—what?!" The Siamese took a step closer to the Burmese and stuck out his neck, hissing. "It was _mine!" _

"Watch what you say. Our new friend is a pacifist."

I suddenly loved Heero for what he was attempting to do. He didn't want his fish-hunting friend to make a bad impression.

"_Our _new—what?"

At this point he noticed eyes and his met and his mouth snapped shut.

"What were you doing with the little fish?" I asked. "Poor, innocent little fishies deserve to swim free, don't they? You're not starving."

Clearly, he knew he was doing a bad thing, hurting the peaceful that instant, I could feel that he didn't want to pick a fight with three cats, but he was a proud tom. If we were to become friends, I would need to give him an honorable and easy way out of his uncomfortable situation. He'd been caught _fish-in-maw_, so to speak.

"This is a new friend of ours, name of Cat," Heero said. "Cat, this is Wufei, one of the highly esteemed Long Clan Koi pond guard cats."

"Were you just playing with the fish?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah… He tries to save them from drowning," Duo put in with a heavy helping of sarcasm. "Helping them out a bit to warm up and dry off in the sun. Isn't that right, Fei?"

Wufei's eyes went wide and then narrowed, wary of tricks.

Duo seemed delighted over something. He was purring and nearly dancing in place. "Oops! The cat's outta the bag, eh, Fei-the-Fish-Meister?"

Wufei bared his fangs, but didn't trade barbs with the Maine Coon. I waited patiently for him to choose the absurd answer that suited him. He did even better and crafted a fresh lie. "It is my job to cull the sick Koi from the healthy to keep the stock strong," he said at last. "I practice here."

"Practice, yes!" Duo chortled. "Don't mistake this for one of the Long Clan pools, Oh, no! This is an ordinary watering hole for livestock. How ingenious of you to practice on the common fish."

I could tell this Wufei was working himself up to strike out at Duo, and that could bring Heero into the fray. I didn't want a fight to mark the beginning of a new friendship, so I smoothed up against the Siamese, tickling his nose with my fluffy tail, and looked as playful as I could.

"You really like fish, don't you?"

"Yes! Yes, I do."

"That's perfectly understandable. Miss Iria's special man-friend brought me fish, a whole aquarium of them. You must come over and see them!"

Duo groaned. "Oh _Bastet_, no… save us…..."

I watched as Wufei opened his mouth and caught a bit of drool with his pink tongue. "I'd be honored," Wufei said with an elegant nod. "How soon?"

"We can go now, if the rest of you are interested. Miss Iria and Mr. Tam are going out again. I heard them making plans before I left. We'll have the entire house to ourselves, well, us and Rashid."

"And the fish," Wufei added in a rush. "Of course."

"Yes, and the fish."

Wufei and I led the way; Heero and Duo walked behind. I have very good hearing and am a good listener. Out of one ear, I could hear Wufei telling me about himself, and when I tilted the other to the back, I overheard Duo talking to Heero.

"—gonna be something else, what with the serial killer of pretty fish—Hey you saw him salivating at the thought of a whole aquarium...!"

I turned that ear back around and concentrated on what Wufei was saying. Serial killer, my goodness! Duo had such an imagination!

"- Professor Long, who teaches Chinese Literature at the university, is a collector. I live in rooms filled with priceless antiques."

"It must be so hard," I sympathized, "to have to be so very dignified and well-behaved at home."

"Very, very hard. Never to touch the ancient manuscripts and porcelain ornaments!" he joined in. "You too live in a museum?"

"Practically. I'm a very good kitty, but it's hard." I hoped that a little commiseration would help us bond.

He leaned his elegant neck my way. "I have a very grand pedigree, you know, but when I get outside the clan holdings I get a little—"

"Wild?" I ventured this idea, but thought "crazy". Most cats like to fantasize themselves as wildcats.

And Wufei was one of those. "Yes. _Wild._ Yes. I keep myself under tight control when duty calls, of course."

"Oh, of course. I wouldn't have invited you over to my house if you weren't!"

I think we understood one another perfectly.

He smiled at me. "Who have you introduced him to?" the Siamese asked Heero, ignoring Duo completely. He looked down his nose at Duo, which was quite a feat considering the Maine coon was the far bigger cat!

"Us."

"And Relena- can't forget her," Duo put in. "Part of the Pampered, Pedigreed Persian Pack."

"She is not-!" Wufei whined in the most obnoxious whining yowl. He must have noticed our group wince. He closed his eyes and drew a breath and began again, far more controlled. "They are Turkish Angoras, not Persians with the pushed-in faces. The Angoras are far more attractive _and rare_."

I knew Wufei was right; at least, Relena had said she was an Angora.

And at that, Duo groaned and then started a new rant. "Know-it-all! He's a total house-angel-street-devil who's obsessed with fish and slurping them down—"

I hurried Wufei along and hoped he was a little deaf like other Siamese purebreds I'd heard about—for Duo's sake. Wufei seemed a proud cat who wouldn't let an insult pass by him uncontested.

**TBC **

A/N: If you are curious about how I see these cat-boys, please see my profile, where the urls aren't stripped from the text.


	3. Chapter 3

**Mixed Blessings ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Cat in the Hat_

_I think I shall now spend time_

_licking_

_the most private parts of my anatomy._

_It is a party._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 3 - Cattitude**

We didn't get as far as my house. I had to stop and yawn more than once and stretch in the sunshine that shot through the blanket of clouds. I wasn't the only one. The others took a moment to enjoy the warmth. I wondered how it would feel to have Heero's dark, short fur; wonderful now, but would it very quickly become too hot in summer?

Duo was orbiting a patch of dry grass as if he were about to coil up for a nap. Heero nipped Duo on the tail to get his attention. Apparently, he only got a mouthful of fur, because Duo didn't squawk.

"What?"

"Howard is calling you."

"You can hear him?" Duo asked with a look of wonder.

"He couldn't possibly," Wufei snipped. "With all his talking."

Duo ignored the Siamese. I guessed he was used to the other cat's criticism "Sleep's calling me, I know that."

I listened as hard as I could. I didn't hear a man calling Duo, but I did hear metal chimes. "I hear bells," I announced. "Four bells."

"Drat. I must return to duty," Wufei told us. "Tea and service to the Master of the ponds."

That sounded very bleak, to me, but I didn't tell him that since he appeared very inspired, so maybe it involved having a nice lap to nap on and treats.

"It must be nice to be so important," I told him.

"Oh, it is, but the sacrifice can be great. Like now."

"We won't have our visit today then," I decided. "It wouldn't be fair to exclude you, because of your obligations. Besides, it is much later than I thought," I said sniffing the air for the hint of open food cans (none) and judging the time by the angle of the sun (nearly dinner time). "Miss Iria will be returning from her workplace very soon, and she might not enjoy the surprise of extra company."

Duo shook out his fur. "Time to get in a good snooze before dinner, then. Okay, well, that's okay. What'll we do then?"

"Would tomorrow in the morning be acceptable?" Wufei asked.

"I see no reason why not. Let's plan that!" This was so much fun, having friends and plans.

Heero agreed. "We'll all collect at Cat's place tomorrow."

"Where is that?" Wufei asked.

"I'll get you on my way," Heero told him.

"Very well. I was extremely fortuitous meeting you today," he said, canting his head toward me. "Until then…" Wufei said, trailing off the end of his thoughts until he just blinked and walked away, mincing through the weeds, head and tail held high.

"Man!" Duo said in a gasp of surprise. "I've never heard him so polite. He nearly went overboard with the compliments."

"And he didn't question the distance to Cat's house. He never likes to go far afield." Heero gave me one hard glare. "I believe he thinks you are flirting with him."

"Who me?" That wasn't possible! I didn't even know how to flirt! "I'm not and I wasn't! When-?"

"Yeah, sure! Let me harken back to a minute ago," Duo said, "Tickling his nose with your tail?"

"That was being playful!"

"You are no longer a kitten," Heero reminded me.

"Oh. I hadn't thought of it that way."

"Time you did, especially," Duo winked at me, "if you already have attracted an admirer."

I thought he'd forgotten about that. I wished he had. Maybe it was Wufei leaving the "kills" by the door. "No, wait a minute!"

"Say what?" Duo paused to look back at me.

I could rule out Wufei from my secret admirer list. "It's not him."

"Huh?" asked Duo.

"The secret admirer is not Wufei. It can't be. He would have known the path to my house and not asked for help."

"Good point." Heero said, accepting my brilliant deduction. "He's not one to attempt a bluff."

"He can't act worth shit, you mean," Duo re-stated.

"A-and I didn't mean anything by my playing around."

"'Course not, little buddy. So, if you aren't interested in him, you might wanna turn down the charm a notch."

"Oh, I will. I _will_!"

I liked Wufei a great deal, but I hadn't thought of him or any of my new friends as more than trusted friends. I knew what it was they were hinting about; Rashid had explained everything to me in very plain talk. Even though I didn't think the feather and wing parts were important, courtship was courtship with the same ultimate goal. The essential points were the same.

Weren't they?

But Wufei was a male cat and so was I. That didn't fit the scheme at all.

Why me? _Fish. _Of, course, Wufei liked fish and I promised him some new ones to observe. I smiled, contented. I'd reasoned everything out.

Almost. The little offerings of dead animals could be part of a trap. I had the sinking feeling that my secret admirer would turn out to be a giant raccoon-and-cat-eating snake.

Heero nodded his approval and then turned to follow Duo, the only one who seemed perfectly comfortable forging a path through the weedy growth, despite the bounty of fur, or perhaps because of it. He felt none of the burrs taking hold. And then I imagined how nice it would feel to have another cat groom the burrs out of my fur and… maybe I understood the friendship of Heero and Duo a little better.

"See you tomorrow then! Bye!" I called out to my friends.

A ca-t-cophony of voices returned my farewell, before all the tails held high above the grasses waved, and then disappeared, leaving me to find my home by myself. It wasn't hard or far, so I guessed the rule about not traveling alone didn't apply. "Think!" I knew that since I'd walked out to the fields with my friends and it wasn't all that long ago that I should be close to home and to the right. I could see the trees towering in the distance and headed in that direction.

_Flirting _with the Siamese cat? Oh, my goodness no. I was certain Wufei understood just how things stood between us and wasn't confused. Duo and Heero just saw things differently; I guessed, and put it all out of my mind.

Ooh! A cricket! He hopped right into my path, so I pounced. I missed of course and he sprang high into the air, landing a little further away.

"I see you!"

I jumped and he leaped. What fun! He leaped twice in a row. I had to bound over the tussocks of grass and weeds buzzing with bees to keep up. I couldn't help myself, though! My last spring landed me on the clump of weeds he'd settled on. It must have been, literally, the last straw with him. I mean, he must have tired of our game, because he spread his reddish wings and took flight.

"That's not fair!"

I also took off, vaulting the thickets as if there were wings on my feet. I hadn't felt so free and strong and able before, so I cried out just for the pure joy of it, "Weeee!"

I nearly ran head-on into a tree trunk.

"Getting a little far afield, catling."

I reared back so startled by the looming bark barrier and the creepy voice from above me that I did a backwards somersault.

I righted myself very quickly and looked around for the source of the voice, a strange voice a little like Duo's with the chirping but also mixed with a normal cat's meow.

Then in sank in—the animal had called me a kitten! "Whoever you are, show yourself!

"I'm visible if you'd only look up."

I did and detected something in one of the trees! I was positive. Bigger than a squirrel. Smaller than a… a cow. Slinking along a limb, it had eyes and they were looking at me now!

The other animal didn't move. It remained crouched on the limb only moving the eyes. The longer I stared the better I could make out the form. I marveled at how well camouflaged it was. The tan with brown and black spots melted into the shadowy limbs. I kept the face in view as best I could. It was a cat, I guessed. But I wasn't positive. He held his ears erect with interest so I could see just how tall, deeply-cupped, and wide-rounded they were—not like any cat ears I'd ever seen!

_Was_ that a cat? It was a cat face. The eyes studying me with equal intensity were green with dark "tear-streak" markings running from the corner of the eyes down the sides of the nose to the whiskers. A wild cat! There was a _wild cat_ in my trees!

_What should I do,_ I wondered?

"Hello?" I called out to test the waters, but he didn't return my greeting. He made a funny noise, which I couldn't tell was friendly or not.

So far, I hadn't met a strange cat I didn't befriend, so there was that. And yet, there was the hissing beast that had chased away the raccoon, which could be friend or foe.

I most certainly had to defend my territory from dangerous creatures, and this one had the potential to be dangerous. But, I realized when I glanced around, I wasn't near my territory. I wasn't near anything I'd seen before.

I couldn't very well just run for home; I hadn't any idea which way to go and it wouldn't do to get any more lost with a possible predator on my tail. Friend or not?

I decided to find out for certain. It was daylight and too fine a day for dark evil creatures to be lurking about.

Now, how to meet his stranger? Was I to have to _go_ to him, or her?

"Are you coming down?" I asked; although, I wasn't really sure if I was hoping he or she was going to or not.

"No. I like the scenery up here."

Well, if the cat wouldn't come to me, then I would go to him- or her! I promptly discovered that tree climbing was best done with longer claws. Lucky for me mine were at least in the beginning stages of growing out. I could get a secure grip on the trunk. Removing a paw and moving it to the next higher notch, was a trick that required practice and strength. I could do it, but when I looked up I could see I had a long way to go yet. I dropped back down to the ground.

I backed up and took a running leap, clearing several feet of the trunk and giving myself a fair advantage from the start. I had saved myself half the climb in one leap!

"Is that the best you can do?" came the taunting voice.

I wasn't about to waste my breath, breath I might need defending myself, on foolish chatter. Putting my all into holding on and climbing up was of primary importance. I hauled all my weight onto a limb and caught my breath.

"If you jump, you can get further faster." The voice was much higher up.

"If I miss, I'll get further faster, too, just not where I'm trying to go," I snapped back.

That's when I saw the other cat's tail. Not a long tail like Heero's or a fluffy grand tail like Duo's. This tail had black rings and a solid black tip—like a raccoon's! The base was fluffed out, signaling… _what_? My fur fluffed along my back and tail when I was afraid, but this other cat did not appear to fear me at all; I didn't know _what _his intentions were! Confusing body language meant our communicating would be all messed up.

He leaped to another branch with the ease of a squirrel, but his movement was lissome and poised. He was certainly well-practiced and self-confident and beautiful—so fluid and agile.

And- _oh, dear whiskers_- what long legs he had! His legs had to be easily twice the length of mine! Three times! Like a dog! Certainly this was no housecat! It was a ferocious (look at those fangs!) wild raccoon-dog-cat! What kind of a mess had I got myself into?!

Why hadn't I insisted that Duo and Heero walk me home?

Rashid was right. Curiosity can, in fact, kill the Cat!

Oh, dear! I was so high off the ground!

The tall, lanky wild cat drew very close and his tail flicked and then wagged.

"You _are_ a raccoon-dog-cat!" I cried out.

"_What_ did you call me?"

"I don't _know_!" I wailed.

I couldn't have told him my own name at the time I was so distraught. I was frankly scared out of my wits and it didn't help that when I looked down, down was so very, very far away.

I was stuck!

I could not hop up, of _that_ I was certain. It seemed as though all the feral skills had been bred out of me. With very little effort, I _could_ fall to the ground and probably to my death. If I wanted to continue being alive, even for the short amount of time it would take for the wild dog-cat to tear me to shreds, I would have to stand my ground, my _branch _(which was feeling far less sturdy than before, reducing itself to a mere twig), and brave it out.

I came out of my crouch and treaded out on my bough one step. My head held high and a neighborly purr in my throat. "Let's not fight. Let's be friends instead."

I closed my eyes and waited for whatever might come next.

"I thought we were."

"I hadn't expected you to say that at all!"

"I greeted you." He flicked his tail in demonstration. "That's how my kind shows pleasure and excitement."

"Oh! Well, I didn't know that. It's seems aggressive to me."

"It wasn't."

"I'm very glad to hear that."

"So, how do you show… pleasure and excitement?"

If this was intended to be a simple comparison of cultural manners, it didn't sound that way. His voice was pitched low and smooth and sultry. A purr bubbled up my throat in response.

"Purring. Yes, I purr, too," he said before I could get in a word edgewise. "It's the language of love."

I clearly wasn't used to his dialect, and decided to keep the conversation light and formal. You couldn't fault good manners!

"My name is Cat and it's nice to meet you."

"Cat?" He leaned very, very close and looked at my collar. "No, not c-a-t. Your name is Quatre." He said this with a husky trill that sounded like "Kaaaaa- traaa". "It's French for the number four. Quat would be the shortened form. It's written on your license."

"My what?" He could _read?_!

"License. That metal tab hanging from your collar. "Quatre of the Winner Family breeders. A-1 pedigree. I'm sure you've got papers, too."

"I do, and I like to play with them, but I'm not allowed to tear them up. Nevertheless, I do, and then I have to hide the shreds under the sofa." Why was I telling him all this, I wondered? It had to be nerves.

"Wrong papers, I think. The ones I mean tell where you came from."

"The city?"

"Not exactly. Your parentage. And if your parents have been shown, it will tell you if they have been winners and so on."

"We _are_ Winners."

"Yes, you are Winner's Quatre, but I was talking about your parents' awards, prizes, ah… It's not important."

"You seem to know a lot about me, while I don't even know exactly _what _you are."

"I'm a cat."

"You are?" I know I must have sounded terribly insulting to him. "I mean, you look so… wild." That could be taken as a compliment; I hoped he would see it that way.

He seemed pleased. "In part. I'm a Savannah. That means my father was a wild Serval cat and my mother a domestic. Certainly you've noticed me before."

"No, I would have remembered _you_." I let the import of his statement bounce off of me; I was so distracted by his supple body. (The entire conversation would have to sink in a few days, and then, when I was thinking straight, I could stumble across what he was insinuating.) In the meantime, I thought he moved gracefully in a tree, far more than any cat I'd seen, and those legs! "You are very athletic."

"I am". He stretched out showing off his legs to their full length.

"I've never seen such… fine legs on a cat."

"I know. Comes with the breed. You may call me Trowa, if you'd like."

"Trowa. That's a nice name."

"Right. So?"

"So… what?"

He bucked his head into my side—gently, but I had to grip the bark with all my might to stay in place.

"That wasn't very—"

"It was a greeting. Now, get your bearings." The tall cat pointed his nose off to the right. "Over there, the clump of trees, is your house."

I saw the trees, which looked small from this height, the fence and shrubbery portioning me from Heero's garden, and the hedge row separating the end of my property from a great expanse of carefully manicured lawns and gardens—Relena's. "I see how to get home now. Thank you."

I made the mistake of starting to move and ended up frozen in place again.

"Need a paw down the tree, or are you comfortable on your own?"

"I'm certainly not comfortable climbing down," I said honestly. _No good friendship came out of a nest of lies_, Rashid always told me.

"Very well."

I was sure that he didn't mean that to sound as self-satisfied as it did. I also wasn't prepared for him to do more than lend me a paw, show me the safest path down.

Without warning, I felt a tug at the back of my neck and then my paws left the safety of their untrustworthy perch. "Oh!"

"Relax."

He was carrying me like a mother cat would a kitten—how mortifying! In that position there was nothing I could do but remain limp and let him cart me, bouncing a lot, down the tree (he ran!). We ended up a little distance from the great trunk in a soft clump of grass.

His hooded eyes were already surveying the territory for danger, or fun, I couldn't tell which, although I was beginning to sense he was not a "let's do it for fun" adventurer like Duo.

"Thank you for the aid," I said a little snippier than I'd meant to, but I was still smarting from the disgraceful dismount from the tree.

Trowa combined chirping with a meow in a voice that turned me into a puddle of cream. "Ahhhh my little catling, is that any way to thank your rescuer?"

Catling! He just called me a kitten, again! "You can't fool me with your sweet talk! I know the word kitten when I hear it and I AM NOT A KITTEN! I'm a Birman and all my colors have come in, so that's proof!"

I turned my back on him in an effort to march away, dignity intact.

"Just a moment," he said.

I stopped. I heard him sniffing. It was me he was sniffing; I felt a nudge from behind and was about to tell him to go away when a warmth spread from between my back legs. I tried to look between my front legs, upside down, at what he was doing, because I was certain it was he who had touched me, _there_.

Another lick as his wet tongue rasped over my furry privates.

"Your _balls_," came his muffled voice.

I must have articulated some of my incomplete thoughts and he'd spoilt my polite anatomical reference with his own rude one! The nerve of this stranger irked me. No one had ever licked me there before. I meant to stop him.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"Determining your sex. With all the fur, I couldn't tell for sure. You're male."

I _knew_ that. I did my best to look insulted, yet genteel.

"I'll stop if you want," he offered.

"That's enough then. You learned what you wanted."

"You're purring, despite your attempt to look injured."

"I wasn't-! You disrespected me!"

"No, I find you very attractive and I was trying to seduce you. Entirely different."

_Seduce_ me? "But you're a male, too?"

He smiled, sat back on his haunches, lifted his left leg, and proceeded to clean his privates—right there in front of me! "You noticed. Good."

I noticed, all right. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight of him ravaging himself for me to see. "You- You're awful! I cried out.

He looked up with those wild cat eyes, golden green, narrowed, and then laughed. "Yeah, aren't I?"

"Yes!"

"Well, you shouldn't be surprised."

"I am! And why shouldn't I be?"

"Didn't you get my message? I left ample proof of my interest."

"Heero did find some scent marks and unidentified droppings-"

"Not that! You have to have been tripping over them! Though I suspect a few might have gotten past you; those humans in your house tossed one out, that I saw. But you can't say you didn't see the last one; it was large enough to eat you, if it were a carnivore!"

A chill ran down my spine. "Oh, no! Not all the little dead animals! You didn't ... **leave a swath of death** on my doorstep!"

"They were gifts."

"Gifts?! Haven't you more respect for life? There is nothing more valuable than life in this universe. Rashid has taught me that."

"I do. But I'm a cat and wanted to impress you with my hunting ability. 'Sweeten the kitty', you understand?"

Far too flustered to continue the conversation with the exciting, mysterious stranger, I bid him good day. "I must go now or I'll be late for dinner."

"Quatre. Before you go, I just wanted to say, to warn you—"

"About what? Talking to strangers? I think I've already broken that rule and paid the price."

He looked hurt for an instant and then a little lost. "You're not going to like what I left today."

"Hmmm? What was that?" I didn't quite hear him. I was distracted by his change in demeanor. Not so confident, even, I'd say, a little shy.

He stepped away. "Nothing important." He turned back as if he'd changed his mind. "Just remember, Mandarin ducks mate for life and when one loses his mate, well, he's sad. Keep that in mind."

"All right." I would but I didn't understand the significance of that information at the time.

But I did check the door step and there it was—a beautiful duck! A dead duck! I knew what I had to do and do it quickly and with dispatch. I gripped the soft feathered body in my jaws and lifted—oh, it was heavy—the dear thing's body off the concrete and carried it –oh my jaws were tired—to the grass. There I had to put it down and rest a little. Trowa was very strong to catch and carry this here. Instead of carrying the bird, I dragged it by the neck to the far corner of the garden and hid it beneath the hedge. There, it could rest in peace and not bring my role as a housecat into question with Miss Iria.

I licked my whiskers clean and purred at the lovely taste in my mouth. Blood! The duck's blood! I was, it seemed, no better than my peers, no less a primitive beast. I felt terrible.

Later that night when I was drifting off to sleep-recalling the highlights of the day, like: Wufei with his guilty look and silvery fish, the cricket, and the best, or worst, of all meeting the wild cat, the sexy, sultry, oh-so terribly interesting, wild cat—Trowa's words came back to me. The mated duck who'd lost his mate would be sad. Could it be that Trowa put the lonely one who'd lost his dear love out of his misery? That he'd done an honorable service to the duck?

And gifted me with the beautiful treasure.

I would have been happier had I not tasted its blood, my first taste of creature blood, and discovered that it tasted so good.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Mixed Blessings ~:~ Cat Tails**

_In the first place: In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats. _

_And falling into second place: One cat just leads to another. _

_-from Philosophy du Chat, Chang Wufei_

_(orig. Ernest Hemingway)_

**Chapter 4 - Cat's Meow**

* * *

It hadn't helped that the last words I remembered hearing, before marching off to my laundry room basket, had been Rashid's, telling me about Serval cats. I simply shouldn't have even mentioned them.

"I wonder sometimes," I'd said, "if wild cats and domesticated cats are compatible."

"Probably not," he'd said automatically in answer to my round-about inquiry concerning them. "The wild cats would eat you."

"But what about the smaller ones. Take the Serval for example—"

"Let me tell you about those wild cats of the savannas," he'd begun. "Not from the Sahara, but south from there, along waterways, where there are grasslands and forests. Always water, though. They swim."

"No!" I absolutely hadn't believed that could be true.

"Oh, yes. Great swimmers—"

"What?!" Trowa! A cat that liked water?!

"- and great runners, too, with the longest legs in the cat kingdom."

"Well, I'd believe that, but water?"

"You will believe _all_ that I tell you and live a long life like me. But to return to this wild cat… I do not think they would make friends with the house cat. You see, they are nocturnal and solitary by nature."

"Solitary?" I had known that meant that they lived alone, but didn't I? "Not in a family? That's not so different, is it? Most cats live with their human companions, not other cats."

"You are right, of course. You may live with cats, but not ones of your choosing."

"I have friends I chose… oh! They are coming over tomorrow morning."

"Not recommended."

"It's too late, I've already invited them."

"The Mister and Missus are having work done. Do not ask me what. I don't know, but I heard them talking about workmen arriving 'at the break of day'."

That sounded awful and terribly inconvenient; still, I had to hope Rashid was mistaken and make the best of things if he was right. "I hope not. It will completely wreck my plans."

"Good night, dear one."

"Good night, Rashid."

I won't say I slept well, what with shining fish crying for help as I dashed through an endless maze of tall grass, chased by snakes and raccoons and cows and, well, one certain other cat.

Being awakened from a bad dream by a big parrot didn't go well at all, and, I'm sorry to say, Rashid lost a couple of feathers in the process.

"Dear, boy! Watch your claws! Time for a manicure, don't you agree?"

"Rashid! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, no need to fuss over a few lost feathers."

"I was having a bad dream, you see—"

"Your tale will have to wait," he said to me in his fatherly tone. "I'm here to relate your friends' greeting. They await you without."

My friends were here already?

Reading my mind, Rashid said, "Breakfast has passed."

"It's that late?!" I bounded from my basket, flustered by the change in routine. "They're here so soon?" Of course, they did say they'd come in the morning. "Oh! They aren't _in_ the house, are they?"

"No. As I reported, they are without." He ran an errant feather through his beak, smoothing over where I'd lashed out at him. "Whatever plans you had with them, I'm afraid, will have to be postponed."

"Why?" None of them would like that news!

"The workmen are doing their business. Very loud with whining machines. Go outside and you will see for yourself."

Oh, that, ugh. It hadn't all been a dream.

"Miss Iria hasn't gone has she?" Of course she was probably too busy with _the workmen_ to be concerned about me.

"No. She is here to supervise."

My dear friends would have to come another time- that was a certainty. They'd be so disappointed!

"Don't take that!" I cried out in an attempt to stop him from taking another of Miss Iria's "fabric softener sheets," which she fed to the warm, humming box.

"It is just the one."

"And yesterday was another. You know she doesn't like that you horde them."

"Mind your manners!" He often delivered that line when he was indisposed to arguing.

We parted to our different directions, him to tear up the scented sheet and drop the bits on the floor, and me to stop my friends from instigating a disturbance with Miss Iria.

Heero was the only one who didn't look unhappy; in fact, I thought he glowed with the sort of pride that comes from purpose, like Rashid. "Odin was here early. You missed him. He gives the orders and leaves the work to his experts."

"I'm sorry to have missed him," I said, honestly.

"You will get another chance," Heero said barely hiding his delight. "He will return at the project's completion to inspect."

I approved. "That's very thorough of him."

"He's a professional," Heero concluded.

It was just in time, because Wufei appeared about to burst with tension. "How long is this going to take them?"

Heero stared at my house for several heartbeats, and then replied, "There are many windows and doors and two floors. The job only just was started. My estimate… afternoon. They take a break to eat, so after that."

"Afternoon?" Wufei looked at me. "There will be no time to see the fish, then. Not today."

"I'm sorry," I began. I hadn't even had my breakfast and already I had somehow failed my friends. "I haven't hosted a get-together before and I didn't know about this."

"And you couldn't have. Geez, 'Fei, give Kit-Cat a break. How's he to know what's in the head of his humans? Howie hardly ever tells me a thing worth knowing."

"Shall we try again tomorrow?" I asked, hopefully.

Wufei rose to his feet and looked away. "We shall see."

Duo hissed and batted at his tail, calling after him, "Don't be a pill!" He licked my ear and purred. "Don't let him bug ya. He'll come when Heero calls, you can bet on that. There's no way he'd miss the opportunity to…ah… see of a bowlful of fish."

"Thank you, Duo."

Heero missed all this; his attention riveted to the workmen, until Duo asked him, "What'sup?"

He gave us what he called "the perimeter tour." I learned all about camera placement, even getting to adjust the angle on one Heero said "would soon be covered by overhanging vegetation." He was so knowledgeable about things like that. Every single window was opened and lined with what I learned were called "wires", not snakes. Heero explained the functions of the security devices and how "the data they collected would be transmitted to a central data center for study."

"You know, as fascinating as this all is," Duo said, yawning to demonstrate how apathetic he really was, "I could use some grub and a nap. In that order. See, ya round."

I think Heero was surprised and even a little hurt to have him just leave so abruptly, not that I didn't blame him—I didn't blame anybody for feeling let down and leaving. But he let Duo leave on his own. I nearly remarked about the rule breaking and then thought about how I'd met Trowa by being on my own and decided that it wasn't so bad when you knew the neighborhood, and Duo certainly knew the area well.

And then my stomach growled. I was beginning to feel my lack of meals- I'd missed TWO—and nearly excused myself, and I would have had Heero not been waiting so patiently for his human to put in an appearance.

"Heero. The least I can do is bring us a snack. Please, find a shady spot in the garden and wait. I'll be right back. I promise."

He agreed and quietly padded off the patio. I slipped into the house and to my bowl, where breakfast of canned Ocean Delight awaited me, looking well aged. I wolfed it down in spite of the fact that I could taste salmon in the fish mix. I hated salmon and normally would have snubbed it, but I was starving! My other bowl contained dry food for nibbling on during the day. That I pushed across the floor, aiming for the door to the garage.

No one noticed what I was doing. The workmen were attracting all the attention, I guessed. Almost everyone.

"What are you doing?" It was Rashid, he who sees all and knows all.

I didn't need his grumpy beak in my affairs, or want to waste time defending myself, so I'm afraid I might have been a little abrupt with him. "Taking my food outside. You may help or move aside."

I expected him to put up a fuss or at least an argument, but instead he rallied round.

"Noise disturbs me also. I shall lift this. You open the door." He carried the bowl in his very strong beak, spilling a little, but he managed to get it all the way through the house and garage, where all he had to do was push it out the cat door. "You can assume control of this from here on out, I suspect?"

"Yes, thank you so much! I couldn't have done it without your help. You want to come out, too?"

"I don't dare," he said with so serious a tone I didn't dare question him about it.

Heero dashed to the door to help and we took turns carrying and pushing the bowl across the patio pavers and onto the grass. There we dove in and ate. I let him take the lion's share, having nearly filled myself on Ocean Delight earlier.

After emptying the bowl, we cleaned up with a few well-placed licks, and agreed to find a safe place to rest and wait. We circled a dry spot within site of the house, but not underfoot, before settling down for a short nap. Heero had no problem lying close to me and closing his eyes. _Don't nap with strangers or in a strange place, _no longer applied to me.

And it felt a very, very short one to me, having had so little rest the night before.

"Cat." Heero nudged me to wakefulness.

"Huh?"

"The work is done."

That meant Odin was here! "Oh! Yes! My, he is tall, Odin is!"

"Yes."

"He's smiling so the inspection must be going well."

"I think so," he agreed.

I noticed that Miss Iria seemed very pleased with the job Mr. Odin had done, too.

Heero trotted up to the man, who immediately bent and picked him up. I could tell Heero liked him and the man liked him, too. I could hear the purring all the way out to the front of the house, where the man took Heero into his car. There I could see my friend perched on a seat with his front legs on the dashboard scanning the grass line for me.

I waved a paw and he nodded; that's all the time we had for goodbyes, and then they were gone.

I'd never ridden in a car loose before. Only caged. Only when we moved here or to the… dreaded vet. Lucky, lucky Heero!

I listened to Miss Iria worry over my missing bowl as she filled my other one with two – TWO—cans of Turkey and Giblets. I gorged myself to near bursting and then, somehow, hauled my swollen belly up onto my perch by the window and closed my eyes, all the while listening to that mean old bird laugh at me for over indulging. Well, I'd deserved it all, both the food and the teasing.

Heero and I had finally bonded. I felt good about that, so it was all worth it. I think I had Duo to thank for the opportunity. He shared his best friend with me. That was my last warm fuzzy thought before falling into a long, much-needed sleep.

(o)

Regardless of how much I'd eaten before, come dinner time and I was awake and alert and ready to see if Miss Iria had left me more. I tasted it, but it wasn't savory enough to go all out and eat it, so I didn't.

I was more interested in testing out a couple theories I'd been speculating on. I actually was hoping that it was Trowa who'd chased away the raccoon. Rashid's words came back to me. He'd told me that Serval cats were nocturnal, and Trowa was partially a wildcat. I'd seen Trowa at night in my garden; would he be there again tonight?

Just as I thought! As soon as it was dusk, my mysterious shadowy wild cat, showed himself.

"Trowa? Is that you?" I called, although I could detect his particular musky scent, easily picking it out from the cloying flower perfumes in the background. Back when I'd first come outside, I'd assumed the odor was raccoon or opossum or the mix of cats with other animals, but now that I had met him, I knew it was his mark.

"Who else?"

"I don't know. Apparently, if I believe my friends, I have a secret admirer."

"It's not a secret. I told you I was interested in you and I left you proof."

"You mean animals you killed, I know. I had to hide the duck. Honestly! What were you thinking? I couldn't eat anything that large, if I could eat anything with feathers—"

"-You eat canned chicken. That had feathers."

"Not ON it! I'm serious here. If Miss Iria had found the bloody duck body, I think she might have had me put down!"

"Why?" He sounded completely mystified.

"Why? Because she assumes I'm the guilty cat leaving my kills on her doorstep, that's why! You should have seen the look she and Mr. Tam gave me the other day."

"I should have. I don't stick around every time I leave something. I did warn you about the duck."

"Yes, thank you. Did… was that story true? Was his mate killed and you just put him out of his misery?"

"Mercy killer—that's me. Yeah, it's true. Hey, you want to come up here?"

"Not really." That would put me at the disadvantage, because it was obvious he was more at home in my trees than I was. It wasn't that I thought he'd harm me; I was pretty sure he had a good heart, but if he became too persistent or pushy, I preferred to have all four of my feet firmly planted on terra firma. "Why don't you come down to the garden instead?"

"Suit yourself."

I had the chance to watch his agile moves, his muscles, and long legs catch his leaps and bounds. He was a marvel in motion. I swept the drool off my chin with a quick, raspy lick.

He wasted no time with niceties; he stalked right up to me, did his funny head bump thing, and then proceeded to lick my face.

I pulled away first, but he did the talking.

"My little catling, I do not believe your owners will get rid of a treasure like you. They might, though, keep you locked inside. I shouldn't like that."

"Well, no. I wouldn't like that at all either." My head was spinning from his smoothing up against me. "Y-You know, I don't like being called a kitten. And if I was, which I'm _not_, then you shouldn't be playing with me in that manner."

"Catling? It's an endearment. My special name for you who I hold most dear to me."

"I am? You do?" Oh, my long and straight, white whiskers!

"_Very_ dear. You told me you were two years old. So am I. I'm not even full grown. In another year, I'll be even taller."

"Really? You're already tall."

"And you are very, very cute—"

I swiped him across the face.

"—and tough!" he added quickly. "You're growing out your claws, I see."

"To defend against sweet-talking cats of dubious background."

"I'm a registered breed!" Trowa cried out.

I hadn't meant to sting his pride and felt bad that I had. "I'm sorry, I know you are. I meant to say… Where is your house?"

"A long ways away. Miles."

I could sense that he was still hurt by what I'd said. I had to fix that. "You walk miles to come here? That's amazing and very flattering."

"To see you, yeah. You require a little protection every so often."

Yes! Just what I'd thought! "You chased away that vicious raccoon, didn't you?"

"Well—"

"I was so scared! And that alarming sound, like a snake! Was that you, too?"

"Yeah—"

"You were wonderful! And I never thanked you!"

"It was nothing. He was just an old fellow being pushed out of his territory by an upstart and made the mistake of running into me."

Had I embarrassed the big, tough, wild cat? He was intensely inspecting a paw, which looked perfectly fine to me.

"How fortunate for me that you were there," I said quietly.

"I made it a point to be in the neighborhood."

"Oh, yes, you'd hinted about keeping an eye on me."

"It wasn't a hint—"

"-Miles from home… I'm lucky you spare me the time."

"I'm not busy right now, so I have plenty of time."

Ah, HA! I wanted to know more about him, and now I had manipulated the conversation right where I wanted it to go. "When you _are_ busy, what are you doing?"

If I expected him continue to keep his personal life confidential, I was to be disappointed; well, not _that_ more stunned, once again. Trowa was one unpredictable cat.

"I perform in the circus," he said, jaw tight, clearly expecting a bad reaction from me.

Speechless, I just sat and let the night breeze blow through my fur. I could hear the skittering of small animals in the undergrowth, the scrapings of tree limbs and rustle of leaves. I could hear him breathing, and my heart quickened with no justification. What would happen next?

"I do tricks."

Let me say that it was the tone of his voice more than his words that sent my heart to pounding. That was his trick, I supposed.

"I see."

As illustration, I assumed, he jumped into the air executing a backwards flip and landed in a crouch. With continued fluid motion, he repeated the flip several more times.

Stop!" I cried. "You're making me dizzy!"

When he stopped, it was to fall into a forward roll that brought him to a complete standstill only a body-length from my feet. "Just focus elsewhere," he said, as if that explained away everything. "I do the tightrope and high dive."

"High dive? Onto what?"

"Trampoline and sometimes water."

"Water!" So it was true!

"It's not so bad."

"You don't have long hair!" I disagreed. I decided that I ought to say something nice to him; he'd come such a long way to say hello. At least I should take an interest in his… activities. "Do you like swimming?"

"Actually, I do." His eyes traced around the sky overhead for a second. "Keeps my body in shape."

"Yes, it does!" I said with far more enthusiasm than I'd intended to allow leak out, not that I'd given much forethought to what I'd do or say around him, but it was as if a little tiger inside me was roaring to get out and… what? What was my problem around Trowa? I liked him a great deal and for no good reason, except he liked me and protected me from stray animals and helped me find my way home… But he was extremely forward!

I did _like_ that, though.

Well, I could worry about the little tiger, later. It was time to learn more about the secret life of Trowa, because as sweet on me as he seemed, I believed he could be a very bad boy. And I didn't know why.

Trowa purred. His tail fluffed. I had pleased Trowa, which set me to purring, too.

"I'm designed for hunting," he told me, not without some pride. "Long legs for reaching into holes, leaping for prey, and I can hear the talk of rodents with ultra-sonic hearing."

"Wow!" Okay, I was impressed.

As I studied his face, I noticed his eyes move, tracking something over my shoulder and up. I turned to see moths, fluttering in the light from the porch.

"They think it's the moon," he said.

A small dark thing— not a moth but an animal, from the trace of smell in the air- swooped over our heads. "What was _that?_"

"Bat," he said seconds before I saw him do a most remarkable thing—he leaped nearly 10 feet into the air and caught the night-bird in flight!

"Don't hurt the birdie!"

He removed it from his mouth and held it to the ground with a paw. "It's a bat. A flying mouse."

He was right! It wasn't a bird at all. "It hasn't feathers, but… it has no tail like a mouse either."

"It's a bat."

"Let it go," I demanded, and he did.

The ungainly looking thing flopped around before finally crawling up the side of a tree and from there, flying away.

Trowa stayed until the bat was out of sight, although I'm certain he hadn't lost track of its whereabouts and could have retrieved it in a second.

"See you 'round." He closed in on me and leaned his face very, very near to mine. I could see the green flecks of color in the low light and then my eyes closed of their own volition. His rough tongue flickered over my lips and nose and eyelids, finishing up with a very sweet head nuzzle. Warm, sleek fur over hard bone, ummm.

He pulled back, leaving me trembling and eager for more- the next day. "Oh, yes. I do want to see you again! My friends are coming over tomorrow morning, aaaand you are invited, too. You could meet them."

"You mean the coon-cat and his shadow? I'll pass."

"Duo and Heero are their names and there is also a Siamese named Wufei. You'd like them, you really would!"

"Uh, huh. You have a good time—catling."

He leaped up… and was completely out of sight. I barely heard him alighting on the fence; in fact, the landing would have be soundless had a wood slat not been loose and rattled.

I couldn't think of anyone but him that evening, even passed on dinner. Rashid scattered it around the floor.

"See? I'm concerned for you. I _cover_ for you."

"There's nothing to cover up, Rashid."

"No? No appetite? Miss Iria might think you are ill and take you to the v—"

"Don't say it!" I cried out.

"Vet."

"Euww!"

"There. I say it. You need to think, though, what you are doing."

"I'm not doing anything wrong."

"No? Then why this?" Rashid used a wing to sweep away more of the abandoned food.

"I'm not sure. I have friends who want to see my house and a friend who protects me. I'm happy, basically."

"Not ill?"

"Not at all! I'm fit as ever."

"Then you are in love, my little one."

In love! Oh, my whiskers!

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Cheshire Cat Smile_

_There is shortage of available cat toys in this room,_

_And since I can find nothing better to play with,_

_I shall see what happens_

_When I sharpen my claws_

_On this handy piece of furniture._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 5 -****Cat-tastrophe!**

* * *

In retrospect, I know I should have planned better. I prided myself on my planning skills, so why hadn't I given a thought to what I'd do when my friends came over? Things wouldn't have gotten out of control so quickly or so thoroughly had I mapped out the rooms we'd visit and portioned out some treats and had Rashid supervise the party games. I'm not really sure he would have participated, actually, since he pulled his cover over his cage and hid in there the entire visit, but, still, I'm really sorry I neglected to consult him, or even warn him that they'd make the return visit.

There was a bright side; my friends had a good time. Mostly.

The day began as a day should, with breakfast. I downed my Chicken in Gravy, blotting out the vision of downy gold chicks diving into a stew pot (thank you, Trowa, for introducing that into my poultry dining experience!), lapped at my water, and waved Miss Iria and Mr. Tam off for another day away from home. At last!

"Where are you going?" Rashid asked from his perch in the front window. "Are you not napping here? It is a fine day to watch the birds in the trees."

"Not today, sorry! My friends are trying again to visit me."

"Those… cats? I don't approve! No, not at all, do you hear me?!"

"Sorry!"

I dashed out the cat door and out onto the patio. No one was there! The sun felt warm and my nose tingled with fresh smells. Dew glittered on the flower petals. Just as the cicadas began to buzz, I heard a familiar chirp and meow and whiny meow—my friends!

"Hello, hello, hello! Welcome to my home!" I danced in place I was so happy they came.

"It's not overrun with humans today, I presume?" Wufei asked, scanning the outside of the building for errant people, I guessed.

"What are you implying?" Heero straightened; his eyes slitted suspiciously. "The job was completed yesterday—to standard specifications. No additional tasks are necessary."

"So you say—"

"Chill, guys," Duo said, purring. He passed between them, hip checking both cats and sending them sprawling in opposite directions.

"Watch where you are going!" Wufei snarled, which I though was funny. He looked comically scrawny beside the furry fluff that made Duo appear much, much larger. "What do you find so funny?"

Having his beady eyes and fishy breath in my face evaporated all the funny I might have felt. I coughed. "I'm sorry! Nothing! Won't you come in?"

Wufei strode in as if he owned the place, sniffing at the new smells. Heero tip-toed in, sticking cautiously near the walls and stealing looks around corners. Duo bounded over all obstacles in his path, and asked, "Where first?"

I immediately thought of the places I spent the most time, deciding to begin with those. "This way, please." The laundry room was the first one we came to. "Here's my bed."

The laundry room wasn't small, but suddenly four cats parading through it made it feel a lot less significant.

Duo purred approvingly at everything. "Nice litter box, Kit-Cat. Roomy."

"It gets changed daily?" Heero asked.

"Sometimes twice."

I heard a gasp. Wufei was rubbing his face on my bedding. "You sleep on silken cushions?" he asked breathlessly.

"I don't know. Is it silk? I used to sleep on Miss Iria's bed-."

"Say no more!" Wufei shook his head in sorrow. "I know the shame, for I, too, once shared the Master's bed and then… well, no more. A wadded up towel is all I am worthy of now."

"Hey, you getta _towel_? I had to steal my own bedding, twice!"

Duo's story might have been intended to be a sorry one, but the way he told it, I could tell he was rather proud of his cleverness.

"The first time I'll admit was a stretch, taking old Howie's shirt. He didn't much like that, so I stayed away from things with his scent and stuck to the workshop rags. Gathered up quite a collection. He's no wiser either 'cause I hid'em well up in the shop rafters."

"I thought you slept on the window sill," Heero remarked. "That's where I find you."

"Yeah, well, I also got this secret stash of rags up in the rafters."

"I wouldn't think a cat your size could climb that high."

I don't know why Heero was goading Duo, but it seemed too artfully done to have been accidental. Duo was on him batting his head and Heero was clawing and biting back. There wasn't any real animosity or blood. I'd call it rough play. Curious, though; they weren't kittens.

Wufei, meanwhile, had discovered the basket of folded clothes and was rolling in the lovely, filmy things. I had to get him out of that! I just knew Miss Iria would not like to find his fur on her dainty things.

"We should move on. Um… Wouldn't you like to find my food dish and… and the aquarium?"

There was a rush to the door, Wufei leading the way.

Duo, as usual, pushed by him into the hall. I wonder if he knew his fur filled the doorway and blocked the path? "What's in here?" he asked, pawing at a door handle.

"That's Miss Iria's craft room," I answered. I hadn't been allowed in there at all since we moved to this house. I could just barely remember having been a lot smaller and playing with buttons and spools of thread in a similar room, probably the prior city house.

"_You're fur is getting into all the fabric!" _Miss Iria had screamed, and that was the last I'd seen of that room or of any craft room, until now.

"Craft? Is that like 'toy', 'cause I see a bounteous assortment of cat toys. Man, look-it _all_ this crap!"

"Careful of that quilt!" I called out from behind a multi-tiered organizer bin.

"This? Looks like my rag collection, heh, heh." His tail swept a side table clean. "Oh, geez, didn't mean to do that."

Tiny beads bounced to the floor, millions of them rolled and scattered across the floor, soon joined by Heero and Wufei pawing at them, scooting them into piles and then whacking the empty plastic containers and sending those flying into the air. Duo jumped at one and landed heavily on Miss Iria's sewing table.

I didn't even try a warning shout. I flinched when the little box of pins tipped over the edge, but I didn't cry. Then the machine purred and I _did_ panic!

"Heero! Got off that foot pad!"

"Why?"

"You'll sew over Duo's tail!"

"I will what?" He stood and the roaring of the machine stopped.

And not a moment too soon!

Duo hopped down. "Heh, it's okay, Kit-Cat, _relax_. You're showing us a great time here, for a newbie. How about you direct us to the grub?"

He had _no _idea what nearly happened! His tail! Poked by the sharp thingy! Over and over! I'd seen it work!

I had to clear my head; they were parading out the door, tails intact and held high, going who knows where? I scampered lickety-split behind them, and just in time!

"We really shouldn't go in there," I said, to no avail.

Heero had already nudged the door open.

"I detected static electricity," he claimed. "Just as I thought. The surveillance collection device is in here. All the feeds enter at his point, and then are transmitted to Odin's lab, where the data is evaluated for suspicious activity."

Wow! Heero knew so much. However… "It's Mr. Tam's Home Office room. We shouldn't be here. He doesn't like car fur on his monitor screen. Not at _all._"

"_That cat's been on my keyboard! Look! There's hair sticking to my monitor!" _

Thinking back to that awful yelling, it was shortly thereafter that I was shut out of the bedroom and moved to the laundry room. Oh, dear! What came after the laundry room?! Where would they put me next?! A castaway? Dear whiskers! Rashid warned me that would happen; it had happened to him.

"_I flew the coop. I was young, willful, a headstrong chick. Never mind that I came from a safe, well-tended nest. I had to test the limits, see the world, and I did. I never found my way back. I was no longer allowed inside the enclosure."_

I'd never seen a grownup macaw cry, but on that occasion Rashid nearly broke down as he told me the story of how he came to Miss Iria. Exiled from his homeland, he had been passed from human to human, house to house. It was a long and twisted story I couldn't actually follow, but I knew it was heartrending.

"_Follow the rules, young Cat! You could die, exposed to the elements! It is a cruel, cruel world out there." _

The horror of what-might-be overwhelmed me now. I fled the room, tore through the house to the Guest Room, there I found the bubble plastic, ripped off a sheet, and dashed into the office. "Look! What fun! There's more down the hall!"

I was so excited to see all three friends obey and follow me that I didn't really pay Wufei the attention he deserved.

"I didn't come for kitten play. I'm looking for those fish."

Duo and Heero liked the boxes containing white, floaty bits of what Heero told me was "Styrofoam popcorn and bubble wrap."

"All Odin's instruments and devices come wrapped in this. I never played with it though." His eyes blazed, wide and happy and energized, as he pounced on the bubbles, causing them to pop. "Very satisfying!"

"Find me!" Duo yowled as he ducked inside a box, the "packing popcorn" attached to his fur like burrs.

"Are you hiding… here?" Heero ripped through the contents of one box, shredding paper and sending the scraps airborne.

"It's snowing!" How delightful! Warm snow I could pat and chase! Now we were all having fun! No one came into this room. It would be a long time before the mess was discovered.

My joy was short-lived. Sadly, the boxes were not completely empty.

Heero leaped into another box. Then I heard a tinkling of broken glass. I hoped nothing precious had been inside that one.

When Heero found Duo, with a howl, I knew it was time to move on before their tussle included more ruination.

"Who's hungry?" I called out.

Duo's head appeared from a hole he'd torn through his box. "Really worked up an appetite! On my way!"

"A great deal of joy can be derived from sharing a meal," Rashid had told me often enough. It was part of being a hospitable host.

So, I led them into the kitchen, where Duo immediately located the cupboard in which the dry food was stored. From the granite counter-top ("Ooh, this is one cold, stone counter, Cat!), he could reach down and hook a paw under the pull and open the door. It was kitten-play for him to drag the bag down and out and spill the contents all over the floor. Nothing. To. It.

No mention was made of canned food, for which I was most grateful. I didn't want to know how that pair would manage to operate the pull-tabs on the cans, but I was certain they would once they put their combined minds to it.

Heero could turn on the water faucet. I watched him do it and take his drink as if it had been designed just for his use. Of course, Duo copied him, and I, fascinated by his ingenuity, learned the trick also. Turning it off didn't occur to any of us. Funny. With friends for comparison I was learning a great deal about cat culture.

"GET OUT!"

I nearly left my skin behind as I leaped vertically onto the kitchen counter. From that height I could see who'd shouted at us. "Trowa?!" I meant to add, "you came," but he looked angry.

Heero and Duo scrambled to their feet, having just curled into a blended mass of fur in a patch of sun on the kitchen table. Both cats whirled around to face Trowa.

"Who's the killjoy?" Duo asked. "Oh, _you_."

"NOW! Your humans are coming!" Trowa yowled with urgency.

"Duo!" I ordered, "Take Heero out to the garage at once—!"

"Stupid, Stop!" hissed Trowa in his snake voice. "They'll be coming in that way. Use the back door."

"But it's closed—"I started to argue.

"I came in that way! Go!"

This time I kept my mouth shut, although I really wanted to know how Trowa opened that door.

"This way!" Trowa called and this time Duo, Heero, and I raced out of the room at Trowa's tail, jostling to be the first out the door.

Duo reached the patio and spun around. "Where's Wufei?" he asked.

I was used to having Duo and Heero around, that I'd completely forgotten that Wufei had been in my house, too. "Oh!"

Trowa shoved me back through the door. "Look for him. I need the others to do a little job with me."

Now, I didn't wish to be ungrateful or critical of him; he did warn us of Miss Iria's imminent arrival. _But_. He could have offered to help me search the house instead of pursuing whatever _little_ task he'd set out for the others. I didn't even know he was _that_ close to them.

Those thoughts and others much like them took me through the house, but I saw no Wufei. Then I remembered the aquarium in the front room where my lovely window seat stood; he'd be there!

"Wufei! Hurry! Miss Iria—oh! I hear the car in the garage! We have to go, now!"

Whatever is was that he had in his mouth, slipped to the floor when his jaws fell open to complain. "Wha-at?!" he exploded angrily. "I just got started! What is the meaning of interrupting my fishing… ngh… Who did you say?"

"My human!"

He swallowed hard. "Which way is out?"

"Follow me!" I cried, and we dashed for the exit. I guess I didn't need Trowa's help collecting Wufei after all, but he hadn't _known_ that!

Wufei and I dove for cover under the shrubbery and there we stayed, catching out breaths. Memories of the mess we made throughout the house rushed back to me in one big bad wave of guilt, washing away all my warm fuzzy remembrances of the good times.

As I was about to bemoan what was to become of me, I heard a most awful commotion from the back shed. The back shed was a place I'd avoided. It smelled bad, like death and chemicals.

At my side I felt Wufei tense ready to flee at any moment.

"That's Trowa's voice!" And several other difficult to identify animal howls.

Out of the broken window jumped a huge furry raccoon—the one I'd encountered in my tree at night! He thumped to the ground with a grunt and took off with first Trowa, then Duo and Heero at his heels.

"What are they doing?" I wondered.

"Consorting with low lives," Wufei commented, his voice dripping with scorn, his eyes accusing. "You should be more careful with who you allow in your territory."

Who was he referring to? Our friends? Trowa? Certainly not the raccoon! "I hardly could invite a raccoon here, so I couldn't possibly disinvite one," I said defensively.

"Not _that_ creature!"

"Duo and Heero are your friends, too!"

"The circus freak, obviously. Don't be stupid!"

"He's nice!" I said shortly, netted at his tone.

Wufei's response was to remain aloof and refuse to speak. So, we sat in gloomy silence, giving me time to think over what had happened and what I'd seen. Wufei had been fishing in my aquarium and it had been one of my fishies that I'd seen drop from his mouth. I hoped it was okay and was in the water, not on the floor. I would surely be in a kibble-load of trouble if Mr. Tam found a dead fish! That gave me yet another reason to be distressed by Wufei's behavior.

Now, I may not have been a grown cat for long, but I'd been around a crabby bird all of it. I had experience with this form of sulky behavior and was determined not to feel guilty. Trowa was my friend and a good cat. Wufei was just misinformed and angry over having been run out of the house. He could sit and stew if he liked, but I wasn't going to be a party to his manipulations.

"I feel uncomfortable right now," I told him, stood, and crept closer to the door.

Just then, Duo, Trowa, and Heero sprinted out the doorway right past me in a blur of fur. I turned to follow after and just caught a little of Miss Iria's screaming from inside the house. And then, worse yet, Mr. Tam's angry shouts!

"Get it out! Out! Look what he did! Out!"

That's when I understood what Trowa had done for me. Because he'd run the raccoon into the house, it would be the one blamed for the mess instead of my friends and me. Trowa had done that _for me_.

"How can I ever repay you?" I asked him once we had all collected together by the furthest fence.

"I'll think of something." He purred and stroked my fur with his rough tongue.

"Not well planned," Wufei said, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Tch-tch."

Duo took a deep breath and said in an off-hand tone, "Actually, I had a great time. And… I got to know this cat better."

"Trowa." Trowa supplied his name.

"Known him long?" Heero asked me.

"Rather," I said, marveling at Trowa's competent cleverness.

As I watched, his eyes darkened. He leaned over, nearly overpowering me with his musky scent. "Maybe I can conjure up a mental picture of what I'd like to try?"

I honestly tried, but no images of my own would come!

He whispered into my ear, and the tips of my ears burned. "Oh, my! Male cats could do that? With me?! Not now!"

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Cats are the ultimate narcissists._

_As exemplified by all the time expended_

_on personal grooming._

_Dogs are not like this._

_A dog's idea of personal grooming_

_Is to roll in a dead fish,_

_Which is not the worst thing._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

_(original source ~James Goreman)_

**Chapter 6 - Nine Lives**

* * *

Trowa stayed by my side until the others left. They all said nice things to me on departing, even Wufei managed to thank me, ending his silent treatment.

"You were most generous and the fish… spectacular."

I wondered how many he'd captured before the one I'd seen hanging from his mouth. I wondered, but not much. Trowa was there!

The two of us sat and watched the moon rise. I'd missed dinner, but was too afraid to go back indoors and find out what had happened, especially since we heard the car leave the garage and not return. That couldn't have been a good thing. It would have been nice, though, if Miss Iria had come outside to see if I was all right, but she hadn't.

I was thinking about that when Trowa grumbled in his throat and then said, "I don't _want _you to love me out of some _obligation_."

Where had all that come from, I wondered? What had I said to bring that on? He'd proposed to do some presumptuous things, which had surprised and embarrassed me. Was that what 'love' meant to him? I must have reacted badly and wounded his feelings, I decided. If I tried, I could feel his hurt, the feeling of being let down mixed up with some shame, rolled off him like a coat shedding water.

"Oh, I'm sorry! That was wrong of me. I do want to be closer, I-I'm just not sure I'm ready to try… everything you suggest."

Immediately I was encircled by him, nuzzling into my longer fur. "I know, I know. I shouldn't push you. When the time is right, you won't think. You'll just do."

A heavy thump and rustling overhead brought us both up short. I jumped and Trowa took an aggressive stance and looked up.

"Who goes there?" Trowa chirped in warning.

"Well, if you're done romancing, I'd like to amble off to bed, if you don't mind."

"It's the raccoon!" I cried out in alarm.

"Yeah," Trowa agreed, but he seemed to relax at that news. His fur settled back down and the tension melted from his body. "Hey, Randy! A little more warning next time, okay? No sneaking up on us!"

"But you two were so, I don't know, adorable, heh, heh. I didn't wanna disturb ya." The big old raccoon climbed off him limb to the ground. "It's been quite the day, huh?"

I didn't know what to say. This animal had terrified me once outside in the tree, and here he was again, after running through my house, big and wild and up close! I wanted to run away, but with Trowa happy and oh-so confident at my side everything was different. I felt safe; it was as if we were all old friends.

"Hi, I'm Randy."

"The bandit!" I squealed, almost. I think I kept my voice to a squeak before gaining complete control of myself. "I'm sorry. Rashid, a friend of mine, calls raccoons 'the bandits of the animal kingdom'."

"It's because of the mask," Randy said with a sigh of concession. He raised a paw and swept it across his eyes, pointing out the dark fur there.

"I don't understand," I admitted.

Trowa chuckled in his chirpy voice. "At the circus, there's an act in the show where guys ride around with masks as disguises doing stupid shit. One of them's name is Roary Bandito."

"Hey, I could be Randy Bandito!" the raccoon said offering me a sharp, tooth-filled, grin.

I backed up a pace, smile or no smile. "R-Randy Bandito! That's a fine name."

"For a fine friend," Trowa said. "Let me explain to my little Catling here."

"I'm not-!" Oh, why fight it? I decided to allow Trowa that nickname for me, since he was going to use it anyway. "Explain what?"

"Randy here did us a favor today, running around in your house to take the heat off you and your cat chums."

"Quite a party you had in there," the raccoon said. "I'm impressed with the complete lack of restraint I saw."

"But you had Duo and Heero chase him," I said, trying to picture who had done what.

"Took all three to roust me from my nap. I'm an old coon… need my 20 hours a day. Oh, your kibble is very tasty, what I confiscated off the floor on my way out. The best I've had."

Trowa leaned on me. "What do you say?"

Did he want the brand name of my cat food? He certainly couldn't order it out here-. Trowa bumped me harder, enough to knock some sense into me. "Oh! Thank you very much, Mr. Bandito, for helping me today."

"And-?" Trowa prompted me. "What can you offer him by way of showing just how very grateful you are?"

What would Randy like? Food, of course! "I don't eat nearly as much as my owners put out and the excess just gets thrown out in the morning. Would you mind if I scattered it out my cat door each evening?"

"Mind? Oh, no, that would be a treat to savor. Yes, a great treat. I thank you for thinking of me and including me in your party; however, I'm getting too old for that kind of sport, so don't make me participate too very soon again."

"Oh, I won't. I don't think I'll be able to have another very soon."

"Well…now, to the shed I go. Good night."

He gave us one last grin before turning away. Funny, but from this angle I could see gaps where he was missing teeth. His gambling gait included a limp. He wasn't as fearsome as I'd once thought. I think we see what we want to see sometimes. Friend or foe, often it's only distinguished by one's point of view. I would have to share my new-found wisdom with Rashid. He might appreciate it.

Trowa's ears twitched. "It sounds safe for you to go inside," Trowa said.

"It's quiet."

His tongue wiped my face, lingering on my mouth until my own tongue slipped out. The touch sent a thrilling sensation all through me. My purring became so loud I couldn't hear his!

And then he stepped away. I felt cool air separating us. "You're not going!" I cried out. I didn't want him to!

"Catling, I must."

He must have performances to give, people who counted on him. "Of course. I know. But I'll see you soon? Tomorrow night?!"

"Before I go," Trowa's voice sounded rough, like he was choking on something. "I want you to know I still care about you even if I don't see you so often."

"You won't see me? Why not? If it's something I've done, please, let me make it up to you!"

"Oh, no, that's okay. It's not you. It's the circus. There are shows with acts only I can do, some are at night. I'll be busy."

"Oh, I see." I did, but I couldn't keep the hurt and disappointment out of my voice. "I'll miss you terribly."

"Feeling's mutual, believe me. I'll come by whenever I can. In the meantime, take care of yourself and you know where Randy is, if you need a standup guy to defend you. Just in case."

"All right." I agreed, but I was certain I wouldn't need a raccoon again to protect me. "I'll stay in the house most of the time, but each night I'll sit right here and listen for you."

One more lick, a purr, and then a leap and he disappeared into the darkness.

(o)

"It is the balance of life," Rashid extolled his views one day from his perch high above the fray. "One cat goes, a dog fills his place."

"That is not how it works!" I was angry that he could think it was possible to explain away the dog's arrival that simply. And Trowa had not gone, he was just a rare sight. And Trowa's not being a routine visitor had _nothing_ to do with the dog being in my house. Yes. The DOG. _Ruggles_, the cause of the fray in the house.

"Dogs believe they are human. Cats believe they are God," Rashid opined, "But only birds fly. Complain no more to me, young Cat."

"The dog is here to keep away the raccoon," I told him. "Miss Iria believes the raccoon opened the back door, so she had the handle changed and bought a dog to guard it."

"So you say. I see it differently. The way Mr. Tam gushes over that smelly, drooling beast, I am of the opinion that it was his choice and completely independent of the raccoon incident. It is, I repeat, the balance of life."

I stopped arguing. I'd heard of the "circle of life", but this was the first I'd heard of any balance to it. I thought, for the first time, that Rashid was very likely making up some of his wisdom on the fly, so to speak.

There was no proof of anything cats or raccoon related- not even the security camera caught the other cats entering the house. That camera had somehow been pushed to face into the supporting stake rather than at the door. I even got to see "the feed" replay at Heero's house, but I couldn't explain that to Rashid. There weren't words I could use to explain wires and feeds and the particulars of security systems to Rashid, and he wouldn't leave the house to see the equipment himself. No, it was information I couldn't share.

Actually that excursion was a fun, or more accurately, an _interesting_ visit to Heero's home again. A bright spot in what Rashid so aptly called "the dog-days of summer". Duo accompanied us. While Heero wouldn't put forward a personal question concerning Trowa, his furry friend would—and did.

I was avoiding talking about the dog. Not pretending. Not being evasive. I pointedly tried not to think about or talk about _the dog_. Imagine having an invading species purposely brought into the house! A competitor for my owners' affections, Mr. Tam's in particular. I don't think Miss Iria cared for the "noisy mop" very much. I certainly hated the dog from the instant I smelled her nasty doggy scent and heard her irritating doggy yips and saw her perfectly horrid doggy ugliness.

I tried, I really did! I approached the dog with a non-threatening language and said a proper "Hello."

She responded by kicking up a fuss, barking, yipping, snarling, and once she broke free of the hold Mr. Tam had on her, chased me around the kitchen until I turned and clawed her nose. That stopped her with a "Yelp!"

"Very satisfying", to quote my friend Heero.

On the walk over to Heero's house, Duo smoothed up against me to get my attention. "So, figured it out yet?" he asked. The twinkle in his eyes signaled how clever he thought he was being.

"Yes." My answer was brief. Trowa was the secret admirer we'd wondered so much about, so what?! I didn't want to talk about dogs or Trowa. Both were currently sensitive issues for me.

"I mean about the strange cat being your—"

"I said _yes_. I figured it all out. Thank you."

"Oh! Okay. Sure. I mean, odd character, huh? I'd seen him around, who could miss those long legs, am I right? But it was way far over by where I live and once out at the cow pond. Sure roams far."

"Yes, he does. He's a Savannah and they do that."

"Seen him since the—?"

Party? "No. He's got a great many more important things to do than to visit a boring little cat like me. He works for the circus, if you didn't know."

Heero stopped at that. His hearing was very good, especially when he kept one ear cocked our way. "What kind of work?"

"He's a performer."

"Man! That's gotta be like the most exciting thing!" Duo was enthralled with the idea and talked about it at length all the rest of the way. "I wonder… I saw a poster of a lion jumping through a burning ring—would he do that? I sure wouldn't. One slip up and I'd be a fireball instead of a furball, heh, heh... which reminds me. Cat? You ever take anything for furballs? They are the worst. I had to hack up one the size of my paw last night. Mostly, I just eat grass and that helps settle things a little. Man, in the circus! That sounds so cool, ya know? I tried standing on a ball once. No can do. Not my thing. 'Course, he might have super balance powers. Wonder if he wears a costume or one of those feather hats? Saw a picture of a cat wearing a hat once. It wasn't too bad a look, but that would depend on the hat, naturally, and Bread Cats! Do not get me started on that travesty!"

Neither Heero nor I said anything. Heero, I could tell, was thinking things over. I wouldn't share exactly what acts Trowa performed. If he wanted to tell the others, he could or would have already. And there was a good reason why I wanted to keep the fact that he liked water to myself: I was afraid the others would consider that just too strange a behavior for a cat and not accept him into our pride of friends.

There were things that defined cats and different things that defined dogs. Rashid drove that point home the first day the dog and I were left alone with him in the house. "Stay within your species and the lines of communication, they will not tangle, you understand the significance? No uppityness. No malice. And above all, no surprises, and we will all get along."

I could have added a lot more "no's" to his list, but I held myself in check. I also could have pointed out that he and I were in no way the same species and that we got along, but I didn't. Good Cat. No one said I had to be friendly with the dog, however- just tolerant. I went as far as polite; she ran around me and yip, yip, yipped her stupid doggy head off until I fled to top of the refrigerator. I hid behind a giant cookie jar and fell asleep where it was warm and dark and safe.

I hated that dog from her cold wet nose to the tip of her ridiculous plumy tail.

Rashid wasn't fond of her either. He didn't share his wisdom or stories with her. He kept to his perch way high above where she could get to and dropped the empty shells of sunflower seeds on her head.

I started making plans to get rid of her as we approached Heero's house. Suffocated in bubble wrap? Smashed by a falling bookcase? Poison, loomed large in one of my daydreams. I had seen RAT poison in the shed. Randy told me to stay away from it, that enough could kill a cat. Ruggles wasn't very large at all. During breaks in my creative-kill thought processes, I also thought about Trowa.

It wasn't a good combination.

"Here we are," Heero announced. Heero and the security system. He looked eager to show Duo and me what he could do. He'd been studying the equipment diligently as he'd promised.

I put in some effort and worked up a little show of enthusiasm. "So, what you've been up to?"

"A great deal. Let me demonstrate." Standing in front of the "computer monitor" allowed him to tap on the keyboard and point out changes in the screen. This he called "data feeds".

"I watched Odin pull up feeds until I recognized your house. Your friend, Trowa, said he knocked out the camera by the back door so no one would discover that he could open the back door, and I could see that he was correct. Odin sent a repairman over to fix the camera."

"Smart. Without proof otherwise, Miss Iria thinks the raccoon did it," I told them. "Trowa tricked her. She doesn't blame cats at all."

"He left no evidence. That was quick thinking on Trowa's part," Heero said. From his tone I knew he admired Trowa.

"It seemed so at the time, I'm sure, but now there is… a _dog_ in my house."

"Oh, no!" Duo howled. "That is so not cool, Kit-Cat."

"Miss Iria thinks the dog will chase away the raccoon, but all the dog chases is _me_."

I got pity-purrs from my companions, which made me feel better. "Oh, I'm all right, I suppose." And I realized how much better I really did feel sharing my pain with them. "Oh, did I tell you that the raccoon's name is Randy Bandito and he's a friend, too, now? I give him my food at night."

"That's sweet, but, um…it isn't a relative of mine, not even distant, if that's why…" Duo said quickly.

"Oh, I know."

"Just saying, in case that's why you're being so nice to him."

"Oh, no! It's not that way. He's really just an old raccoon living under my shed."

"You seem sad," Heero said after having stared at me for several minutes. He was very perceptive. "And it's not only about some dog in your house."

"I am."

No one said a thing. They were waiting for me to choose if I wanted to say more or not. "I miss Trowa. I do. So much!" It just popped from my mouth.

I had to endure Heero and Duo exchanging knowing glances at one another. I just knew they'd tell me to get over him.

"Um," Duo started in, "Don't get your hopes up, is all."

Heero had his own advice to share. "Circus cats aren't known to be trustworthy."

"He might go on the road and never return," Duo added.

They assumed that I probably wouldn't see Trowa again. I felt awful. I didn't want to believe any of that and I must have looked pathetic.

"Well," Duo said more brightly than I thought the occasion required, "if he can't get to us, then we'll just have to go to him. Whatcha think, 'Ro? Know the way?"

"Oh, can we?" I hopped up and down in anticipation. I'd been totally unprepared for that kind of support.

"The circus tents are visible past the Long Koi Ponds. Wufei said he could see them from the roof of one of the shrine buildings. That would be several miles, but I don't know the way," Heero said.

"Oh." I let the disappointment trundle over me, taking all the happy inside away as it rolled. I might never see Trowa again.

"Don't worry," Duo said. "It may take a few days but we'll figure it out. Maybe he'll stop by before that? If he does, get directions, 'kay?"

"I will! Thanks for believing in him!"

I loved my friends. How would I have survived without them?

(o)

I spent more time outside, what with Ruggles barking at every fly, each creak on the stairs, and disturbing my napping. It was summer with long days and warm nights, perfect for evening activities anyway.

Relena stayed away when Randy was around.

I ran into Randy, who always gave me a polite bow now and a "thanks for the chow," but one time he seemed excited.

"He's here, your sweetheart, waiting for you. Best hurry."

My sweet-? "Oh, Trowa!"

He pounced on me and we rolled across the freshly mowed lawn, his face sinking into my plush fur ruff. I felt so happy I nearly burst with purr, and Trowa's purr was a loud rumbling like a motor car. There was no hiding how we felt.

It was a lovely reunion.

We groomed one another and talked in quiet voices. I told him about the dog and updated him about our friends. How Relena from next door hadn't been seen since Randy rambled the perimeter, frightening her. When prompted to tell me about the circus, he wasn't very forthcoming on the subject; in fact, I'd say it turned him melancholy.

"I can't stay long. In fact, I should be there, but I had to see you. See if you were all right."

"I'm fine, better with you here!"

"I missed you."

"—me too! So much!"

That led into some mutual licking and, oh my whiskers, so much contact it left me breathless.

"I do not want to leave," he moaned.

"Why don't I walk a ways with you then!" This was a marvelous idea, I thought. I could learn the way to the circus and surprise him with a visit!

"You'd get lost getting back."

"Not if I stopped to collect—Oh! I forgot! I was supposed to meet up with Duo and Heero and from there go visit Wufei. We hoped to talk Wufei into letting us up on the roof tops to get a look at the circus tents."

"Why would they want to do that?"

"To make me feel better. I missed you and just getting a look at where you were… we all thought it would be better than nothing."

"Ah my Catling, you're… a wonder," he said. "I can't believe I attracted a sweet soul like yours."

So, I talked him into walking that route with me and along the way he told me a little more about shows he'd done, which meant he was feeling better. Just being with him revitalized me!

I hoped my friends wouldn't mind my bringing Trowa along. I knew Duo and Heero respected Trowa in their own ways, but that Wufei didn't trust him one bit. I wanted them all to be friends and to see how good a cat Trowa was. As he told me about some of the hair-raising stunts he'd done, I got an idea for a way to impress everyone with Trowa's skills. I could do it, but I'd have to keep it a secret.

Halfway to the Long Clan ponds, Duo bounded our way, and Heero leaped from the lower branch of his lookout tree, the same one Trowa had used to show me the way back home. Wufei crept out of the shadows. It looked to me that he was pretending he had come upon this reunion by accident.

"Where have you been?" Heero demanded.

Duo, who was closest, spotted Trowa coming out of the tall grass. "OH! Oh, ho! You got the circus cat with you, huh? Well, that explains a lot. Hey, Tro', how ya been? Long time no see!"

I wondered if Maine Coon cats hadn't a bit of wild cat in them, the way both he and Trowa could communicate with those funny chirping sounds. Wufei and Heero trotted along off to the side, listening, heads tilted to the side similarly and looking very much like related breeds, but one with richly colored fur and the other light. I didn't feel like I fit in at all, except that I brought them all together. Entrenched deep in my heart, I had this feeling that if we stuck together we could achieve all kinds of things. All I had to do was make them see how devoted Trowa was to me!

And I had the best, secret idea as to how to do that! However, I knew Trowa would have to leave very soon, which left me very little time to make things happen. I only had to not think too much about what I planned to do.

We had to make this visit at night, so no humans would see us, Wufei had insisted. That was fine with us and it all worked out perfectly now with Trowa along. See?! In winter, Heero and Duo and I were mostly trapped indoors during the night. In summer, Odin and Howie left windows open so that Heero and Duo were free come and go as they liked. The heat of the day radiated off the stones and tile rooftops—so this would be the perfect time for a look at the fish ponds.

"You may only look. No touching!" Wufei snapped, his voice entering the whine levels of the Siamese instantly, which meant he was nervous.

Duo assured him he had no interest in getting even a paw wet, although he might go for a sip of water. That's when I saw my chance. A narrow rock path bisected one of the ponds. Some of the rocks were polished smooth and shined with water sloshed up by tiny waves when the breezes blew. It looked fairly treacherous and my nerve nearly gave out twice as I attempted the crossing.

"That's not a good idea!" Wufei yowled suddenly. A jumping fish having just caught his attention in my direction.

"It's not?" I looked away from where I was walking, took a deep breath, almost changed my mind, and then stepped right off the slippery stone.

SPLASH!

Oh, it was nasty wet and cold!

I couldn't stop from actually panicking! I clawed at the edge to hang on, but my wet fur dragged me down. Automatically, my legs started paddling and my head bobbed up.

I could breathe! But for how long? What a stupid idea! What if Trowa knew better than to risk his life for mine and he didn't dive in?! And if he did, what if he couldn't pull me out? I might drag us both to our deaths! Stupid, stupid, stupid Cat!

The cold seeped in past my insulating fur; my legs felt sluggish. This was it, I thought. I felt the water surge around me, splashing my face. Knowing I was doomed, I cried out my last heart-felt thoughts, "I love you, Trowa!"

There was a tug at the nape of my neck. A warmth at my side. I moved through the water under someone else's power. Trowa! He'd come to save me!

At the risk of his own life. I was ashamed, so ashamed at what I'd done. And I could down myself in guilt if I couldn't do it in water!

My paws hit soft mud and sand and I sank my claws into it, clinging for dear life.

"Pull!" ordered the very, very gallant cat beside me. "You can do it. Here, I'll push from behind."

It was Trowa's head-butting that did the trick. His strength stunned me for a second, but then I was up and climbing through shallow water all because of him. I couldn't have done it under my own power, not with a hundred pounds of sopping wet fur to haul up!

"Are you okay, my love?" Trowa was there licking my face, clearing the goopy, green, slimy water plants out of my eyes.

"Ugh," I coughed. I'd managed to swallow half the pond.

Even over my noise I could hear Duo's worried meows and horrified reaction. "Praise Bastet! He's all right! Oh, gag, that's pretty awful stuff."

"We must get him dry," Heero said. "Wufei, what do you suggest?"

"I'll be right back!"

Wufei actually returned very quickly. "The flat stones are warmest here," he said as he dropped the rag he'd carried and spread it out with a paw. "Can you walk this far?"

I nodded because when I tried to talk I just coughed up more dirty water. With Trowa on one side and Heero on my other, I stood shaking. Trowa just grabbed me at the back of the neck and dragged me over by where Wufei stood with the rag. I no longer cared what anyone thought of me. The situation was entirely one of my doing. All my fault. I didn't deserve their respect. I was lucky it hadn't cost anyone their life.

Trowa lowered me gently onto the waiting towel. It was so warm and it smelled like Wufei. Oh, my, he'd brought me his very own towel, the one he used as a bed. I was very, very touched.

"Well, Tro', that was pretty spectacular," Duo said. "Where'd ya learn to dive like that?"

"I perform every day."

"In water?" Wufei gasped. "What do those villains do to you to make you do that?"

"Feed me." Trowa shook out his fur. And he wagged his tail. I tried not to think "dog" but he could act very dog-like. "I don't mind swimming."

Wufei nearly fainted from the shock, I suppose; at least, he fell silent. Perhaps he was considering how much better at fishing he'd be if he would swim like that?

I felt strong enough to roll around on the towel, the water soaking into it and the hot stone's heat soaking into me. I felt revived enough to hold my head up and mew once. Pathetic.

A lick from Trowa was my immediate reward. It felt so nice in spite of being completely undeserved.

From the conversation that followed, it was apparent that Trowa's act had impressed them all.

Heero seemed very moved. "I couldn't have done what you did."

"You saved Cat's life! That was just plain _amazeballs_!"

Wufei finally found his voice again. "You must teach me that. The dive. I can see a practical application." He didn't elaborate. I'd been right, though.

"Pounce, front legs outstretched, head low." Trowa looked thoughtful, then added, "Breathe out so the water doesn't enter your nose. That's it."

"Bravery," Wufei whispered. "Mostly that."

"Devotion." Heero's head turned to look me over.

"Yeah, what a cat won't do for the one he loves, right 'Ro?"

"Um, yes."

"What breed are you?" Wufei asked, boldly. "I've been curious since I first laid eyes on you."

"Savanna," Trowa said. "Never heard of it? That's okay. I'm half Serval, a wild cat from South Africa."

"That must be from out of town," Wufei said. "I've never heard of it. So, a wild cat? That explains everything."

"Like the legs," Duo said. "Gotta love long legs. Bet you can run fast. Hey, Cat, if that nasty new dog gets out of your house, have him try and chase Trowa, here. He'd be in… South Africa before the dog would get half down the street, I'd bet!"

We all laughed about that, but it got me to thinking. One more way to rid myself of that dog…

The night sounds were interrupted by a human voice yelling at us, "You cats! Stop that awful caterwauling!"

"We should take this to the roof," Wufei said.

"Lead the way," Duo said.

Now that the crisis was past, I could sense Trowa getting antsy. "You have to leave, don't you?"

"I do."

"First," Duo broke in, "Tell us what route to take to get to the circus, wouldya pal?"

It wasn't so complicated as we had thought. Heero and Duo both seemed very sure they could follow the directions. Trowa and I shared a final lick and glance, before he turned to his path, the one leading him away.

After he left, the rest of us climbed to the top of the highest roof, that of a shrine, Wufei said. There, we watched Trowa's tail disappear into the distance. Further on, the big tents of the circus lit up. It looked so big! And further off than that, in the sky, we watched as the stars came out. The warm roof tiles under foot and the gentle breeze dried my fur. My plan had worked, there was satisfaction in that. My friends all respected Trowa now. But I knew that someday I'd have to tell him what I'd done and hope he'd forgive me. Or maybe not. He probably guessed anyway.

I'd told him I loved him. Had he noticed? Had he known I'd really meant it? He'd called me "love" and not just "Catling"; had it been intentional?

Probably. I shouldn't underestimate Trowa; I should really know that by now! I was very clever, but so was he.

That evening's events had given me a great deal to think about on my way back home. Heero, Duo and I parted ways at the outlook tree and I was proud to find my path to my home all by myself. Of course, it was well scent-marked, but still... When I settled into my basket, the nasty dog, Ruggles, was asleep.

I was the happiest I'd ever been.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 7

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Case in Point, Bastet_

_Thousands of years ago,_

_Cats were worshipped as gods._

_Cats have never forgotten this._

_That is what we are thinking when we stare, unblinking, at the wall._

_Now, feed me, damn it! _

_Leave your paltry offerings and I will consider letting you live._

_One more day._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 7 - Catwalk**

* * *

Having a dog chase me all the time was turning out to be an asset, but don't tell Ruggles that. I out ran Miss Iria and Mr. Tam and avoided another trip to the groomers! Yay! My claws had grown out fabulously, as demonstrated when I climbed to the rooftops at the Long Clan Ponds. I didn't want to take a chance and lose my edge, even though it was the knots in my fur that disturbed Miss Iria most.

So, I ran like the wind, flew through the cat door to freeeee-dom!

I ducked under the hedge and found Heero arguing with Relena next door. Duo wasn't around.

"Hi!" I greeted them.

The arguing stopped and Relena whipped her tail in frustration. I realized then that I was intruding on a private conversation.

"I'm sorry; I heard voices and came to investigate. I'll be going—"

"Don't be an idiot," Heero said, but not unkindly. "You have the right to defend your territory. I should go."

"Oh, no! Heero, please! You're my only hope!"

Heero turned to Relena. "That's not my problem. Talk to Cat."

"Cat? I see, well, perhaps you can help me. Tell _him_ to see reason! Heero's just so…stubborn!"

I couldn't imagine why she thought I had any sway over Heero, who pound-for-pound outweighed me in sheer muscle. The way he and Duo fought all the time in play? If he applied himself, he could turn me into cat sashimi in no time at all, I was positive. He was only being diffident now out of some kind of cat-courtesy driven into him by, probably, Duo.

But just imagining that she thought I _might_ have some influence over his opinion was flattering.

"Is there a problem?" I asked, being as diplomatic as possible and hoping that what there was... was not serious.

"It's terrible!" Relena mewed. "If I could only stay with Heero, I know I'd be safe."

"That's not possible," he said, and he sounded decisive enough to me to end all debate right there and then.

"So, let's look at the alternatives," I suggested. "But first, why must you leave your home?"

She proceeded to explain the OZ cat breeding program in more detail than I liked, but it did make me feel she had a valid point.

"The owner, who everyone calls 'Sir', wants to introduce new varieties into the Angora breed. The co-owner, Lady, wants to maintain the purity of the line. She's just so… awful!"

Heero stepped in to cut to the quick. "Lady wants to start breeding Relena immediately, although she's young—"

"—with my half-brother!" she whined.

I sympathized totally. "That is awful. There isn't a way to convince him to, um, not?"

"What choice has he? Milliardo used to be so nice, but since he's grown up he's just…"

"Been used," Heero said.

She nodded.

"Are you going to run away?" I asked.

"What choice have I? Oh, Heero—"

"No. Odin would see your ID tag and return you."

"Oh."

Then I had a brilliant idea. "You can stay in my shed!"

"But there's that horrid creature living there!"

"If you mean Randy Bandito, he's really very nice. Yes, he is a raccoon, but he keeps to himself. I bring him food every night. Besides, he lives under the shed; you'd live inside. No one ever goes there and it's mostly empty. I can find you some blankets and there's fresh water in the… little rock."

Relena brightened the more I explained how we could make her comfortable. "It's ready when you are."

"Thank you! Thank you, Cat! That will be perfect until a more suitable home can be found for me. Can we take a look now?"

Heero cleared out the spiders and a mouse, who had begun a nest in a wooden crate. "This has possibilities."

Relena dashed to his side and poked her head into the crate. "That will make a cozy bed," she agreed.

So, I braved the dog indoors, and Rashid's questions, and hauled towels and pieces of unwanted, hopefully, clothing from the laundry room to the shed.

"I can't open canned food," I explained, accounting for only being able to bring her dry kibble.

"I can," Heero said. He snapped shut his mouth so fast I nearly laughed at his slip. He was so capable and proud of it, that he hadn't been able to keep from gloating over his mastery of that skill.

"Oh, how sweet of you to offer to bring me a few cans," she said.

Sweet. Oh how Heero hated to be called sweet, I could tell, and I nearly laughed at him. I didn't. I respected him and his strength too much.

"I'm _not_! " he insisted with a yowling sound that intimidated me. "And I didn't offer anything."

"But you will be so good as to open any I roll out?" I prompted. He'd do me a good turn, wouldn't he?

He dipped his chin. "Okay." He wouldn't refuse a friend.

Whew! And I did that without Duo to run interference for me!

(o)

The next day, Duo joined Heero and me in the garden. "I've been laying low," he said warily.

If he thought that vague excuse would do to explain away his absence the day before, he didn't know me very well! He'd been to a groomer and looked lovely. I thought I'd try a little friendly teasing. "Why's that?" I asked him.

"Vet," he said in a very low voice. "So far I've out-maneuvered Howie."

Duo's evasiveness caught Heero's attention; I wondered how long it would take him to notice. Heero sniffed and Duo sidestepped him until he ran into me.

"You look… different and smell—"

"Do _not_ tell me I smell!" Duo growled. Really. Like a dog.

"Like shampoo. Your coat is—"

I just knew Heero was going to goof this up. He was trying to tell Duo he looked nice, and fresh, just back from a groomer, probably. I may have been giving Heero far more credit than he deserved, but... "Beautiful! Right, Heero? His coat just gleams and is absolutely the softest—"

"All right, all right… enough of that," Duo meowed. I think I'd embarrassed him a little. "Don't get to drooling on me. It was just a wash and blow to get rid of excess hair. Blasted furballs!"

"Beautiful," Heero said, adding for good measure, "You are... gorgeous."

Duo's eyes grew so large and round, like Mr. Tam's pretty fish. "Um, thanks."

"Well, there's no use hiding. Howard will catch you eventually," Heero predicted. "He always does. You might as well just get it over with."

"Not by the fur of my chinny, chin—Whoa! Who is…? Relena? Whatcha doing slumming in the shed there?"

One look at Duo all cleaned up, fur un-matted and fluffy, and she purred. "You _are_ a big boy, aren't you?"

Oh, dear. I expected an uncomfortable exchange to follow and prepared to step in-between whichever cats might attack each other first.

Heero turned to an immoveable rock and stopped talking. Relena mewled on and on about how sweet Heero had been helping her settle in and bringing her all sorts of lovely treats, painting a very pretty, but highly inaccurate picture of the situation.

I tried to embellish it with remarks like "It was my idea" and "You can blame me for that", and establish a proper framework to her story so Duo could understand why she was now living in my garden shed, with a raccoon, who must have crawled off into a very dark and hidden location, because there was no sign of raccoon anywhere.

"Oh, brother!" Duo moaned. "I cannot believe you guys. I'm gone for what… a day… and look at the mess you've got yourselves into."

"It's not a mess!"

"Why is that _female _here?"

We all turned to find Wufei sitting on the fence, licking a paw. "If I'd known you were having company, I wouldn't have come all this way." He dropped down to the ground and stepped lightly to the watering hole.

"It's not what you think," I said. "We're hiding Relena in the shed."

He sucked in his tongue, dribbling water on his chin. "You are harboring a runaway? A fugitive from justice?! That's criminal! I won't sanction injustice!"

"I'm not asking you to do anything!" I shouted, not something I often did. "It's my territory and if I say she can hide here, then she can. There's nothing to debate! And that goes for you, too, Duo!"

"Um…" Duo looked somewhat meek, but then he could hide a lot in all that fur of his.

"So there you are!" came a male cat voice from on high. A stranger!

"Mill!" Relena mewed back in surprise.

"Who's _that_ with the svelte body?" Duo asked, showing far more interest in the new arrival than he ought to with Heero sitting right beside him.

"I don't like him." Those were Heero's first words and that was all he said. His hackles were up, ears flattened against his head, and tail twitching in anticipation of a fight.

"How can you hate him? You haven't even met him," I pointed out. "Besides, I think it's Relena's half-brother. We should give him the benefit of the doubt-."

Heero barred his teeth and hissed as the long-haired white male cat jumped to the ground beside him. The new cat fluffed his copious fur and hissed aggressively, while Heero stood his ground and sank his claws into the grass for traction.

This was just what I needed, another cat entering my garden with a perceived grievance.

Duo echoed my sentiments, "You gotta axe to grind? A chip on your shoulder or something, buddy?"

"I don't need to meet him. I dislike him already." Heero's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I regularly patrol a network of paths at fixed schedule and mark my territory. Never have I encountered this one."

The Angora, whom Relena had called Mill, hissed defiantly. "I don't usually hobnob with the out-of-doors cats. But I find I relish this opportunity to fight you."

"Oooh, that's gotta rub the fur the wrong way," Duo commented to me.

"Yes, I agree. Should we do something?" I asked, but Duo just shook his head, no. I looked at Wufei and found him sitting transfixed, staring at the new cat- worthless.

Heero hissed his own threat and swatted at the other cat. Mill blocked the attack and launched one of his own, combining short stabs with snarling.

The two cats looked evenly matched.

"They sure look like opposites," Duo observed. He sat at my side, tense, but staying uninvolved, letting Heero assess his skills, I guessed.

"They do."

Duo purred. "It's fun to watch them move."

"It is," I agreed. Two very handsome cats to watch.

"Bricks wrapped in silk", was how Duo described the Burmese in his characteristic colorful language. And he was right. Heero's solid, muscular round-shaped body was clothed in silky, walnut-brown, short fur- what he himself called a "truly low maintenance coat".

He contrasted sharply with the Angora, whose well-balanced body was the very picture of grace and appeared swathed in a goodly amount of fur.

"Long," Duo said, describing the Angora.

Mill certainly did have a long body, long, slim legs—though not half as long as Trowa's- a long tail, long coat, large ears and wide eyes. Relena was a copy, except she seemed far daintier, with finer bones and a slimmer chest.

Both brother and sister had that remarkably super-soft, snow-white coat of fur. And both had brought turmoil into my territory! And Heero wasn't blameless either!

"What is it with you and belligerent attitudes?!" I cried out. "You can't possibly have cause for holding a grudge yet! Can't we all start out being friendly and polite?"

I was ignored by everyone but Duo, who told me to "chill." "It's a grudge match for sure, but it's an honor thing. Don't worry. Heero's really exceptional!"

Of course he was... I watched as Heero fought Mill admirably and Mill parried Heero's thrust and jabs with great skill. I couldn't tell who might win. And then the oddest thing happened. What shocked me most happened just then—another cat joined me in stopping the fight, but not who I'd expected at all.

Wufei let out a long horrid howl, the sort only Siamese seemed able to make.

"Stop this nonsense! Think of the wrongs you could right! Fight the injustice of the breeding program! Not each other!"

The fighting stopped immediately. Mid strike, Mill froze and lowered his paws. Both cats withdrew their retractable claws and began licking at them to clean out any loose fur. It was as if they hadn't been just about to tear each other apart only moments earlier!

"That's better," I said.

The long-haired white cat leaped to Wufei's side. "What is do you know about the OZ breeders?"

I hoped he wasn't about to shred the smaller cat for making such a racket, but his attention seemed riveted on Wufei's collar. I'd noticed the pretty pendant before—gold with symbols pressed into it—but Mill seemed captivated by it.

"Nothing in particular, but with Relena involved, I simply guessed. She's complained about the living conditions before. Why are you groping me? What are you looking at?"

"You are one of the Long Clan guard cats!" Mill cried out. "You safeguard the koi ponds!"

"Indeed. We fight, but only out of duty and for honorable causes."

"Wisely said," Mill meowed. "May I introduce myself?"

We all stood engrossed for a second by his soft, melodious voice and in what was happening.

His moves were graceful and polished as he continued in his courteous manner, turning to address me as the others as well as Wufei, who anyone could tell interested him chiefly. "I am Milliardo of the White Fang breed. Please forgive me for any disturbance into your territory, but I've come in search of Relena." The beautiful all-white cat turned so his long fur that caught the sunlight and glistened. His keen blue eyes raked us over then landed on Relena. "The humans are looking all over for you."

"I'm not going home! I won't cooperate with their plans." Relena stamped her feet and swished her tail.

He dropped his refined tone. "Don't be stupid," Mill hissed. "After they've finished searching the house and grounds, you know they will come here. House-to-house searches aren't beyond the human imagination, and they will find you."

"I'll run further. I know lots of other cats who'll take me in."

Of course, that was a lie and I'm certain everyone knew it was unlikely she knew any other cats.

Before anyone could call her on it, there came a chirping sound, a voice I'd missed sorely from high up in the treetops. "She can stay at the circus."

"Trowa!" I cried out with pleasure. "The circus! Of course!"

My heart beat so hard it drowned out the drone of the bees and cicadas. Yes! It was Trowa! Where had he come from?! I escaped the cluster of chest-beaters and dashed to the tree. Climbing up to his limb was a cinch with my well-grown claws.

"Hel-lo, my little Catling," he purred. His tail fluffed in greeting, and I remembered he liked to head-butt, so I tried it on him and received a lovely face grooming in return. "Happy to see me?"

"You have to ask?" I purred in pure delight. "I was thinking of going to see you."

"I can accommodate that. I came to see if you'd like to come today."

"Oh! That would be wonderful! Oh, yes! Yes! Hey, everybody! Trowa's leading us to the circus!"

I listened to a chorus of meows and mews and whines and then it crossed my mind that Trowa had remained very, very quiet following his invitation. Oh. It hadn't occurred to me that he wanted to invite me, and me only, to go with him. I met his eyes slowly. "I'm so sorry, Trowa. I didn't think. I just wanted everyone to know you were here."

"It's okay. We'll have other times to be alone, you can be sure of that."

When it was decided that everyone was to go to the circus, Duo was the most enthusiastic and showed it with a little chant. "Oh, yeah. We be your _best _fans. We bring the passion. We bring the powa! Oh, yeah… oh, yeah!"

He even had a cute little dance and managed to swipe Wufei in the face with his huge tail. That Wufei joined us was unexpected, but I think Milliardo needed someone to groom his fur every so often, and Wufei turned out to be the just right, sycophantic cat for that job.

Relena had no idea what a circus was, but seemed petrified by Trowa's presence. However, Heero assured her that the circus was just the place for her, so she seemed breathless with anticipation.

I loved having Trowa at my side. It made it hard for me to care much about all the silly problems embroiling the others.

"So, tell me who's the prince over there Wufei's fawning over?" Trowa asked me.

"Prints? Foot prints?"

"The new cat that acts as if he's royalty- like a prince."

"Oh, that's Milliardo, or Mill for short, Relena's half-brother. I'll tell you about it on the way," I promised, although, I needn't have bothered. Once the trip got underway, Relena told us everything there was to know about their breed, the OZ breeding program, and everything else that struck her fancy.

"Mill and I live in the great house with many lady cats and stud males intended for breeding. Those not chosen are not kept. I-I don't know what happens to them."

"I can give you a few possibilities," Duo said, but didn't actually expand on that, for which I was grateful. I know I had a good home, but I didn't know what had become of my many sisters, and I didn't want to think about it- I most certainly didn't want to hear about it!

"How is it that you are allowed outside?" Trowa asked.

"Oh, I am very smart and very clever. I have a secret pathway." She looked over at her brother to check his reaction, but he was engaged in conversation with Wufei. "It's not so secret anymore, I guess, if he discovered it."

"You are terribly brave to take that chance," I said.

"I had to escape that cattery, you understand. I'm not a tool to be used for some human's greedy gains!"

"No, you shouldn't be." I let her move closer to Heero and fell back a little to walk close to Trowa, who was alongside Duo. Duo seemed deep in thought and didn't speak, while Trowa trotted along in silence, hears pitched forward, listening intently. I was happy just to be with him agian, so I held my tongue and tried to look out for danger. Behind us, I could hear cat talk. Both Mill and Wufei were chatty breeds, and interesting, so I found myself listening in on their conversation.

"I find your purring tranquil," Wufei said.

I cast a look over my back and caught him closing his eyes and using his whiskers to feel for the path. When he bumped into Mill, I turned away and stifled a laugh.

"We are an affectionate breed." The Angora's head held aloft was higher than Wufei's, but it may have been only illusionary, except that this was a true alpha cat, like Heero and Trowa. "I always did want to steal outside and sow my wild oats, as they say, before I was locked up and subjected to the controlled breeding program."

"I am glad you are here today," Wufei said. I sneaked another look backwards and this time caught Wufei giving me a cursory glance. "It's nice to talk to someone who understands the necessity of doing one's duty."

"Duty, when it is honorable, yes, but there are other times… Well, I am particularly pleased," Mill purred with feeling, "to be away from a household packed with prissy purebreds."

"We're not all _prissy_, as you put it!" Wufie's voice was close to a whine.

"Oh, my, dear, you can't possibly be all pure Siamese."

"I most certainly am!"

"But your eyes are not blue. All Siamese have blue eyes."

"Well, not this one!"

"Oh, don't be that way."

"What _way_ do you think I ought to be, then? I've been insulted."

Trowa chirped. I just adored his laugh. We exchanged "understanding looks" and purred together.

"What are you laughing at, you half-breed, wild-cat?" Wufei snapped at him.

"That could have been a compliment," Trowa said, stopping in the path, "had I'd been looking for one. And same goes for what _he_ said to you. Think about it."

"I wasn't-!" Wufei halted abruptly.

_Obviously you weren't thinking at all_, I thought, but didn't say it aloud. I let Trowa handle this all by himself.

"It is possible that you might be a rare breed of Siamese with brown eyes, or it might have something to do with your name."

"What about my name?"

I nearly laughed aloud. Trowa really knew the triggers to set off Wufei.

Trowa leaned over and flicked the metal tag which hung from Wufei's ornate collar with his nose.

"Leave that alone!"

"Wu—that's the number five, a most unlucky number—"

"That's ridiculous! What do you know about number theory?"

"A lot. The number five is also associated with the five elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal, which is kinda cool."

That mollified Wufei somewhat. "Well, yes-."

"But then there is the other half of you name, the 'Fei'."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, if it was referring to 'flying high'—"

"I'm an excellent jumper!"

"But it fits a bird, better," Duo put in unnecessarily.

"Shut up! No one asked for your input!" Wufei pivoted back to face Trowa. "Clouds fly high and are elementally a combination of both air and water. There are cloud aspects to my appearance."

"Could be," Trowa said, unconvinced. "I'm going with the more popular meaning."

"Which is what?"

"Robber."

I immediately thought of 'stealing fish,' and watched as Wufei's eyes grew wide with alarm as the same thought must have occurred to him. His tail twitched a warning and I could see one bared fang.

Another fight and we hadn't even reached the circus yet!

"Oh, Relena's telling a fascinating story," I said to Trowa, gaining his attention. "Come with me. I want to hear it."

Duo must have read Wufei's body language and reached the same conclusion—the Siamese had had enough of Trowa for one day already. As if on cue, he and I shifted positions; Duo slipped between Trowa and Wufei, as I tugged at Trowa's collar with my teeth, dragging them apart and over closer to Relena and Heero.

Trowa was more amused than worried, I could tell. "You know, cats fight to lie in the warmth of my glow."

"I'm sure you leave a wake of fighting-mad cats wherever you go," I commented. Trowa just had a sarcastic way of putting things that shouldn't be taken seriously, and Wufei had very little sense of humor.

"Siamese are touchy, so that really wasn't any challenge. Let's see how I do with Angoras," Trowa murmured into my ear, tickling me.

Angoras, it turned out, were very vocal and the two of them could carry out an animated conversation for a long time.

"You see, the Turkish Angora is a naturally occurring breed from the 'old country,' with traces of its line going back several millennia," Mill was telling Heero, who looked dreadfully bored.

Milliardo's coat shimmered when he moved. "He's quite striking," I said to Heero.

I received a dark look in return and a whispered something about 'liking to give him a striking' which I pretended not to hear.

"I just love to dance, don't you, Heero?" Relena asked.

"Not much."

Milliardo purred. "It is especially captivating when we do." He actually gave us a little demonstration right there on the path. His fur floated cloud-like (that's how a cloud should look, Wufei) as he swirled around. When Relena joined in, I could see that Angoras definitely seemed to flow with the grace of dancers.

"Bravo!" I cheered. "That was fabulous!"

"I definitely see a circus career in your future," Trowa said. "You don't happen to like water?"

Mill stopped his fancy stepping and fell back into line. "Actually, the Angora is known for his swimming prowess, and will even plunge in for an occasional swim."

"Oh, Mill, now, not every one of us enjoys water."

"But many do, with varying degrees of enthusiasm."

It seemed to me that Angoras were good-natured, but determined. Once an Angora got an idea into his head, you might as well just give in and spare yourself the lengthy argument. They enjoyed a good conversation and could keep up their end of the discussion with the best of them.

I guessed that they were highly intelligent, problem solvers who liked to be in control of their surroundings. How that would work within our collection of strong-minded cats, I didn't know. What I did know was that we could adapt. Trowa was solitary by nature, Rashid had said of the Servals, but here he was choosing to be in a collection of other cats, mostly male. Wufei, who I wouldn't think was the type to be part of a group, stayed on the path. Duo seemed outgoing but contained himself on the trip, so far. Heero may not have been very sociable, but he, too, endured the annoyances to participate in something new, and bold, and fun.

"Any of you interested in riding on the back of a tiger?" Trowa asked.

"He's kidding, isn't he?" Relena asked Heero, who just pushed on in silence.

"I never kid about work," Trowa said. I saw his wink.

I hoped the day would go well.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Meow-velous_

_By shoveling the contents as far out of the box_

_As was practical,_

_I have remedied the cat box untidiness._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 8 - Catapulting**

* * *

I know we disappointed Wufei a little by not stopping at his cherished koi ponds, but Trowa insisted that he had to go directly to the circus or be late for his performance. For a moment I thought our group might divide, some staying to enjoy the fish and the rest intrigued by the promise of seeing "big cats" safely behind bars.

It was Milliardo who cracked the impasse with many purring promises to visit the ponds on the way back.

And so we padded on. It was a long, long way. My little paws stung from the sharp rocks. The long-haired cats complained of the heat. We could all have used a drink of water.

"There's a horse trough over there. All we have to do is get over, under, or through the fence," Duo pointed out.

Cats leaped, slunk, and ripped out chunks of fur to get past the barrier. We made a run for the cement watering trough and jumped almost in unison, for the edge. Oh, how wonderful that tasted!

"No better water, ever," Duo extolled.

Wufei attempted to compare it to the koi pond water, but he gave up to drink instead.

Of course, we were all terribly thirsty so anything would have been acceptable.

I was head down, lapping up my second share, when I heard Duo calling Heero.

"Anyone see him?"

Trowa, the tallest, looked around, scanning the landscape. "Not far. In those plants. Oh, he's found the nip."

Catnip!

Who knew it grew from the ground!

Heero was rolling about right in the middle of a large mound of catnip plants. He purred like nobody's business. Duo took a flying leap to join him, while Relena and her brother approached more cautiously.

"I don't see what the attraction is," sniffed Wufei.

"Come try some. Rub in on your face," Duo insisted. "Live a little!"

Wufei sniffed more. "It's minty."

"Trowa? Don't you want to join in?" I asked.

"Actually, it doesn't affect me or I would. Go on, we have a few minutes to spare."

"Naw, 'Fei, don't eat the stuff. Whatta waste!"

Wufei seemed to like the taste and ate more, even though Mill encouraged him to rest his head on him and relax. Heero had blissfully fallen asleep on his back in the sun. Relena's purrs near his head didn't even bother him. Duo covered the perfume of shampoo with the scent of catnip, rolling over and over in it and mussing his lustrous fur. I was afraid to overdo things and fall asleep like Heero. I didn't want to miss Trowa's show. Slowly, though, I gave into the heady fragrance and found myself curled in a bed of leaves.

"Wake up! Humans! Run!"

I awoke with a start and Trowa's head pushing me to my feet. "What's going on?"

I heard what he heard and gathered my wits as the other cats tried to do the same. "Run!" he yowled again.

Heero's warning about not sleeping in strange territories came to mind, a rule even he broke. We were very lucky that Trowa had thought to stand guard!

I ran. I could see him and his longs legs and at times one of the other cats bobbing up and over a tussock of grass, or a tail, but mostly I could hear the sounds of shod feet mashing the grass, thundering as they got closer. People chasing us!

I couldn't understand why or where they'd come from.

The dirt path suddenly turned into the hard roadway material humans put down for their cars to roll on. We'd been in human territory, a park or something, and now we were being chased out, or so I thought.

I heard shouting and could see a blur of fur dash across my path, so I turned and headed that way too, only I was the last and not as fast as the others.

"Ahhh!" I howled as a pair of big hands gripped my belly.

In sank my claws. "Ahoooo!" screamed the human.

I heard hissing and snarling and out of the corner of one eye, spied Trowa, my protector, climbing the back of my cat-napper. The instant the hands released me, I twisted to land feet first on the ground. I took off like lightening, with Trowa hot on my heels.

"Follow me to the drainpipe," he huffed. Those beautiful, long legs extended completely and he pulled out in front, leading the way.

I didn't see any of the other cats, but I wasn't looking. I was running with the sound of footfalls and skittering rocks and angry men behind us. The men fell behind as Trowa took us on a zigzag path under shrubs, over logs, and through muck.

"Up ahead!" he tossed back at me over his shoulder.

The drainpipe opening was large. Nothing dripped out of it, but I could see a channel cut in front, so at times it dumped runoff, which I guessed ran into a stream to our right.

Duo sat at the opening. "They made it!" he said to others deeper into the pipe. "'Ro's gone off with their collars. Mill and 'Lena's collars. He found tracking devices on them and… um… removed them."

"Where'd he go?" Trowa asked Duo, pushing me into the drainpipe ahead of him.

"That way." Duo indicated the direction with a tilt of his head. "Follow the stream."

"Stay put," Trowa ordered me and Duo and anyone else considering going after Heero. "I know the lay of the land. I'll be fine."

One moment I was staring into his eyes and the next, his camouflage-like color pattern allowed him to disappear into the grass.

"I don't hear the humans. They weren't that far behind us."

"Heero was probably right, then, and the humans are homing in on the collars."

Oh, poor Heero, was my first thought, but then I sensed that he'd be just fine keeping to the shadows. "He'll be all right," I said to Duo.

"I know." His intelligent eyes met mine a moment in shared respect. "They aren't looking for dark cats."

Which is why the men went for me.

The wait was terrible, but not long.

"I hear cats on the run," Duo said. "Better give them space to get in here."

Duo and I moved back into the pipe just as Trowa and Heero exploded out from a stand of brush.

"Just move!" Trowa yowled. "It opens up at the circus."

So we sprinted again. I felt Heero at my heels and could hear Trowa's breathing behind him. The tunnel was mostly dry and ran straight for a long way before turning up a grade. That lasted a few feet with dim light at the end and a cluster of exhausted cats circling the opening.

It was night, but the illumination from the circus provided us with more than enough light to see by and cast long shadows perfect in which hide. I picked my way around Duo and Wufei and collapsed near the patch of white fur, either Relena or Milliardo. It mattered not to me.

Trowa had been the last of us to emerge from the tunnel.

Wufei sniffed the air. "This must be the circus. I detect a wide range of animal life nearby."

"No brainer there. Where to, oh master of the spectacle?" Duo asked Trowa.

"This way. We can get food and water and there's a safe spot to rest."

Trowa's head bumped mine. "Hey, don't fall asleep here. I got a better place."

"Oh, sorry!" I scrambled to my feet and joined the _glaring _of cats we'd become.

There were tents and great stacks of hay, lots of baying and groaning, and snuffling of animals we couldn't see, and then we saw more cats.

One hiss from Trowa and they scattered like dry leaves in autumn. "Here's where they leave out provisions for the cats. They keep performers like me and mousers around. Help yourself."

We all did. I'd missed a meal and several naps, so I supposed we all had. Trowa lay high atop a stack of hay bales, eyes closed. While cleaning his face, I worried that he'd miss his call to work, but more so I thought he deserved a chance to rest. "Should you nap long?" I asked him.

"Not long. When the music changes to dark notes, that's the start of the big cats that precede me."

"Dark notes? You mean the minor key?" I asked, wanting to know the extent to which he knew music.

"Yes, you know music, then?"

"I adore music. I am learning the piano and I sing."

"I sing, too. But for now—"

"If you aren't up, I'll awaken you when the music changes. I feel more rested than I thought, now that I've had my fill of water. Go ahead. I'll stand watch for you."

He purred his assent and almost instantly fell into a dead sleep.

Heero and Milliardo were in disagreement. The two alpha toms were never going to get along, I was afraid.

"I swear I didn't know!" Mill said. "You didn't recognize them for what they were right away either, so don't go laying all the guilt on us."

Duo nuzzled into my neck to whisper. "Apparently the homing device was concealed pretty good in the jeweled collars. I mean, how long had we been meeting Relena and not noticed?"

"Maybe she wasn't wearing one," Heero snarled. "Maybe only this guy had one and that's why they let him out to go find her and bring her back?"

"That's possible," Mill said, not very cordially, "but as I said before, I didn't know anything about it. Yes, I wanted to find Relena. I was concerned something might have befallen her. But I am no servant to the humans!"

I knew there would be no settling this question for now, if ever, and aimed to change the conversation before Mill and Heero made a scene. "What did you do with the collars, Heero?"

"I carried them to the stream, where there were some large rocks to go out into the flow. I dropped them there. I could see the water carry them away as they sank."

"Well, then the men will not think to follow us here," I said. "That was good thinking, Heero."

His irritation subsided. I had mollified him sufficiently and we all found soft, dry hay to curl upon. I'd have to tell Trowa how lovely his accommodations were, when he awoke. I wouldn't dare trouble him with that nonessential information now. "Trowa says he will go on soon, but that there's time to nap first. I'll let you all know when it's time."

My eyes sought out Heero and when he noticed and looked my way I told him, "It's all right. You rest. I'll stand guard."

"Besides," Duo said with a yawn, "with all the big cats nearby, I doubt any strangers can get by unnoticed."

Heero agreed, I guess, because he nestled into the straw next to me and didn't move.

No one asked me how I knew when anything would happen; they probably figured that Trowa had informed me. I said nothing and closed my eyes nearly all the way. I could cap nap and still listen to the sounds around me, and there were so many new and intriguing sounds to hear! I remained cued into the changes in tune while still noting the different animal noises and roar of humanity not far off. Screeches and cheers, cries and shouts, laughter and chatter all amid the blare of horns and calliope of notes from unknown sources. It was wonderfully exciting and would have been a little scary if I hadn't been snuggled against Trowa and Heero. Duo had retired at my feet and Wufei nested between Heero and Milliardo. Relena was squeezed up between Heero and her brother with her head butting Wufei's. It was quite nice and familiar as it was strange and thrilling.

Dum dee dum dum… duuuuum… The tone altered dramatically and I knew it was time to get up.

"Trowa," I whispered into his ear. His head had come to rest tucked under my chin and pressed against my chest.

"I hear it. I just don't want to move." He yawned and stretched. I couldn't help but lick his eyes until they opened, one at a time. "Now I want to move even less."

"But you must!"

Once he was on his feet the others aroused themselves, too.

"What's the plan?" Duo was first to ask.

"If you want to see the show, follow me, otherwise, you're safe to stay right here if you like."

"We all want to see you perform!" I assured him.

He found us wonderful perches in one grand tent, under some bleacher seating on the wood frame work. There was so much to see! I didn't know where to look first! And then a parade of huge animals passed right by our noses!

"Those are elephants," Trowa announced. "Cats are next."

That meant he'd have to leave us, I guessed.

"I'll be in the center ring. Look there," He indicated a wide clearing on the dirt floor. "Later," he chirped and was gone.

None of us said very much; we were all eyes and ears, taking in the new sights and sounds. Duo was sitting next to me and even he was quiet, until a pair of new animals appeared.

"Horses! Wow, wouldya get a load of the fancy feathers on their heads!"

"Those must be hats," I corrected him. "Only birds have feathers, and those are not birds."

"I don't know…"

"I do. Rashid told me that birds have only two legs and two wings and feathers. Nothing else is like them."

"Oh? Okay. Funny hats. Right," he said with an elaborate shrug.

When the parading animals were done and walked off-stage, a big cage was dropped into the center ring. The cage filled the center and looked strong. It opened in the front and the back, and it was from the back that the biggest cats I'd ever seen entered the cage. I mean BIG.

Duo gasped and Wufei on my other side let out a plaintive mew, not that I blamed him. I was alarmed, too.

Real wild cats.

"Lions and tigers!" Mill said from where he sat on the other side of Wufei. "I never thought I'd ever see them this close up."

The big cats leaped onto platforms and obeyed the directions given to them by a human. For cats, they didn't sound right. They were loud and, oh my whiskers, their claws and teeth were terrifyingly big and dangerous looking!

"Dear Bastet save us," Duo growled deep in his throat and lurched back into Relena on his other side.

I thought he was just reacting to the sights I was seeing, but he noticed something else.

"There's Trowa!"

"Oh! H-He's o-on the b-back of t-that… t-that…" I simple stammered into stillness.

He rode the back of a spotted leopard around the ring.

"Oh!" Flames leaped from a circle hanging in their path and then he jumped _through the circle that was on fire_! The leopard trotted around, and then sped up to catch Trowa on the other side. My dear Trowa landed safely onto the big cat's back and circumnavigated the ring once more.

I watched him do leaps and rolls, reminding me of what I'd seen him do in the trees. Suddenly, he hopped upon a giant ball and rolled across the floor while standing on his hind legs.

"That took leg strength and superior balance," I heard Mill say and he even sounded sincerely impressed.

"How does he keep track of what to do when?" Relena asked.

I was about to admit I didn't know, when the answer came to me all at once. "The music! He moves in time with the music and uses the changes in rhythm and tune to time his jumps and end one act or begin another. Just listen!"

Of course, not every cat feels music the same way. I don't think Wufei heard it at all. Duo felt the beat and could pat his paws in time with it.

"What's he doing now?" Duo glanced over at me. I must have looked worried because he tried, yet failed, to be reassuring when he added dubiously, "I'm sure he's done all this before without a hitch."

I took a deep breath and said in as offhand a tone as I could produce, "I'm sure, too."

Trowa climbed stairs that went up, up, up to the tippy top of a very, very high platform. I knew he liked high spots and seemed fearless of heights, but this was so high that if he fell, he'd be hurt, and my heart pounded.

There was a terribly thin wire that connected his platform to another. I just knew he was going to walk that. I heard his howling meow!

"He's calling to you," Duo told me, but I knew that. My eyes were glued to his face so far and wee in the air. "Dear Bastet! What does he think he's doing!"

"He's walking a tightrope," I said in my calmest of voices, hiding the dread going on inside me. What if he slipped?! I knew that the sensible thing for me to do was not to go running out crying for him to go back or come down (not fall down!)—that would be monstrously stupid of me, but that's what my legs were telling me to do.

"Oh, yeah, is that all?" Duo replied, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I gotta hand it to ya, Cat. You sure can be one cool kitty under pressure. I don't know if I could sit there and watch 'Ro do something so… dangerous. And yet… Tro' sure does seem good at what he does. There! He made it to the end. Now, what-? No! No way!"

A large tub of water had been wheeled in and left under the second platform.

"He is not going to dive into that?!" I heard Wufei say through a hiss and eye me uneasily.

Any answer I could have given was lost in the shouts and cheers coming from the human audience. Trowa crouched, tail twitching, the music swelled, and he dove, head first, lovely form, straight and long, and lean, directly center into the water… and splash! Seconds later, his head popped up and he swam around and around.

I heard Heero's concerned voice, demanding, "Won't anyone get him out?!"

No one did.

"Shouldn't we do something?!" Relena asked.

"No," I replied, assured that Trowa needed no help from any of us. "I can guarantee that he is a very able cat. Just watch."

And it was true. I found I trusted him completely not to do things he was unfit to do or to rely on others to get him out of fixes. He'd invited us to see this, me especially, to see him perform. I let the excitement replace the fear inside me and watched the spectacle.

His sharp claws clung to a carpeted edge and he dragged his sodden body up and out. The people roared and clapped. Trowa shook his coat free of water in the manner of a dog, and there was Duo, practically hooting and doing his own set of stunts for the joy of it.

"That was amazeballs!"

It was! The wonder of everything struck me just then. Trowa. Trowa, Trowa, Trowa, Trrrrroooo-wa! What a wonderful name and how it slipped over my tongue with ease. The more I said it the more I relished saying it.

"He's wonderful, isn't he?" I remarked to Duo.

"Yeah, pretty much," he said. Duo was quick to nuzzle Heero reassuringly.

I was so pleased when the other cats gathered around Trowa and said the nicest things to him. As Wufei put it, "You have elevated the 'circus cat' to a performing marvel. But I'm curious how it is that the big cats allow you on their backs. Wouldn't your claws cause injury?"

"My claws would hurt, so they wear a small harness and I dig into that. It's painted to match their coat and not stand out." Trowa butted heads with Duo, who seemed to understand Trowa's uncommon but friendly gestures. "What's your plan? You are all welcome to stay here, you know."

"Um—"

"We can travel incognito best at night," Heero recommended.

The next question was to sort out who would stay over and who would go home. There was no question about what Relena would do—she planned to stay. Trowa promised her safety. Mill felt he should return to his cattery, even if it would be very late.

"He shouldn't go alone," Relena said. "Heero-?"

Heero spoke up again. "I will accompany anyone who wants to go home."

Not to be bested in the male show of strength department, Wufei declared, "We will all go." Wufei spoke grandly, speaking for us all. "Safety in numbers. I cannot miss my morning call to duty and, Cat, won't Miss Iria be worried if you didn't come home?"

"His name is Quatre, by the way," Trowa said. He just had this wonderful way of inserting himself into the conversation that made the most interesting waves in the sea of emotions. "It's French." He looked over his shoulder and then back at me. "And on his collar."

So after another tiny uproar over my name and the fact that Trowa understood and read several languages, not just Chinese, I stepped forward. "May I have a moment alone with Trowa before we go?"

Duo was a sensitive and generous friend. He helped lure the others away for one last nibble and sip at the feeding station.

And there I was with the noise of hundreds of people around me, but with only Trowa in my sights. That fluttering excitement I felt before in his presence threatened to take over, so I jumped off my wood perch and ran about in a circle, chasing my tail and worked it off. Actually, he pounced on me. That's what stopped my run. We lay on the ground with his weight, his lovely, heaviness pinning me in place.

I simply melted under his smoldering gaze.

Then came the lingering good night kiss.

I was ready to stay forever and give up my home and every comfort I'd ever had just to keep the soft tickle of his whiskers on my face, the low whispers of his assurances and purrs and warmth right where it belonged, just to keep from having to part.

"We'll think of something," he told me.

All the way home I thought, but nothing came to mind. Ten ways to kill the dog at home, but no good plan to keep Trowa and me together!

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 9

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_See the Cat, See the Cradle?_

_Having more than four opened,_

_But rejected,_

_Cans of cat food in the refrigerator_

_Makes a cat feel treasured_

_And expensive._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 9 - Catnapped**

* * *

Each of my friends peeled off from the group as we passed his home: first Wufei at his ponds, then Duo, Heero, and lastly Mill wished me a good night at the hedge dividing our properties.

I thought I'd be tired, but when I reached my laundry room bed, I found myself too warm and restless to settle down. I tiptoed to the kitchen, where I found my dinner, partly mauled by the dog, so I only ate around the edges, and my water, with a dog hair floating in it. After taking some refreshment, I wandered quietly into the front room. Rashid was sleeping, head under one wing on his perch with the cotton cover halfway over the side. It was warm, then, not just me, or he'd be completely covered. The dog was stretched out on the cool tiles in the entry, sleeping, thankfully.

I climbed up my window perch where I could look out into the night, and there I thought back to my very busy day. Trowa, _sigh_. The running, the catnip, the pipe tunnel, the circus, but no matter what the activity or the diversion, Trowa persisted uppermost in my mind. I missed his voice, his reassurances, the scent of the wild that clung to his fur, his sweet tongue licks. When I tried very hard, I imagined the rough tongue gently scratching my ear. And then I must have fallen asleep.

"There you are!"

Miss Iria's cry woke me immediately, which was a good thing, because I only had seconds to retract my claws before I was rising off my perch and being cuddled tightly in her arms. Musn't scratch the mistress or it would be off to the groomer for me to get clipped!

"I was so worried when you didn't eat dinner and I couldn't find you anywhere. Where did my sneaky little kitty cat run off to? Look at the burrs in your fur! You're not sleeping in in the hedgerows, are you darling?"

Dear me, what was Miss Iria going to do to me, besides the brushing I knew would come my way? I could see that instrument in her hand already. A thorough sprucing_ could_ come next, including a, gasp, bath!

"There, you look much better now."

Oh, I have to admit it felt nice having her comb out the snarls and scratch all the right spots. When it came to checking my claws, though, I had to think quickly. I didn't want her to discover how they had grown.

"You are such a pet," she told me in what was practically a purr. I licked her finger tips and snuggled and distracted her until she laughed and carried me into the kitchen.

"Why you smell like livestock, I can't guess, but there's no time to get you to Alice's today."

That was the groomer. I was safe for another day!

Food! My favorite tender meat was there already in my bowl! But so was the dog. He even growled as I drew near.

"Ruggles! Be nice! You know whose food this is - it's Cat's (although I could hear Trowa's voice telling me it was really 'Quat' that she was saying, I still felt it as' C-A-T') food bowl. Now go away. Oh, all right… Tam! Yes, you heard me. Get in here, now. I warned you… Ruggles is doing it again! Take your dog out of here! Now!"

It was the dog's turn to be swept off his feet and carried away, accompanied by a great deal of grumbling from Mr. Tam. A tiny sadness darkened my heart, but not for long. As much as I liked being Miss Iria's favorite, I liked eating in peace with the dog gone even more. I had friends now and Trowa. I was no longer dependent on Miss Iria for all my happy moments.

When I had finished eating and drinking, fully appreciative of finding clean, cool water in my dish (horse troughs were acceptable in a pinch, as were koi ponds) , I strolled the house looking it over for changes. There were none, except that Miss Iria and the dog were outside.

"There you are!" piped the macaw from the front room, truly parroting our mistress. "I was worried… I wondered if you'd ever return."

"Aw, you missed me, Rashid!"

"We all did."

"Ha! Not the dog."

"Even the dog. He had nothing to chase but his own silly tail so he moped about."

"I'm not sorry one bit."

"You explored?"

"I did!"

"If you can leave out the word 'Trowa' for a minute, I would like to hear your story. To begin, tell me about horses."

My poor friend. I know how he yearned for the world outside. "I didn't see one in the field, but I drank from a _horse trough_. The water was already mostly gone, or I would have soaked my fur!" I leaped into the tale of my day and night, leaving out the scary chase part, and Rashid supplied the "oohs and aahs".

I only mentioned Trowa when it was important, like when I described the circus, which he didn't really understand, I could tell, but I tried to emphasize the horses running circles in the ring wearing feather head dresses.

"Horse-feathers? Nonsense! They aren't birds," he opined, pleased to have known better than I did about the animal kingdom.

I didn't attempt to correct his viewpoint, and, lastly, when pressed for the complete story, I told him about our near-miss with the humans.

He was very concerned that men tried to catch us. "You should remain indoors for a few days. We don't know where they came from or what they were hunting, but if it is white long-haired cats-?"

"Duo suggested that we all 'lay low' too. I think I could sleep all day, so it won't be a problem."

"Ah, that is a wise choice. It's good to have a civil conversation again. That dog is a moron and Miss Iria and Mr. Tam argued more than once. She is not happy."

"I'm sorry. Well, I'm back now so they can stop fighting," I said, knowing I was the cause of everyone's unhappy lives. I felt very sorry to have made them sad, but I couldn't help feeling so very pleased for myself. Long legs, leaping, running, a warm, rough tongue… Trowa.

Sleep. My window seat felt perfect, the sun heating the glass and radiating it back all afternoon. I left my perch only once to drink and use the sandbox, and by dinner time I was starving.

_Arf! Arf! Arf! _And so on… The dog must have been bored to death to have nothing better to do than chase me to the food bowl.

I leaped to the counter out of harm's reach and hissed. The dog skidded into my water bowl, upsetting it, then stepped into my food bowl and sending the dry kibbles flying. Now, what would I eat?!

My temptation was to jump down and bat that silly dog's yappy face to silence, when the door from the garage opened.

Miss Iria came home to the racket of the dog barking at me wedged in between the coffeemaker and the toaster. I knew the counter tops and table tops were off-limits to me, and I'd never dared to break this rule, but that dog unnerved me this time, and now I was stuck.

"Ruggles! Bad dog! Look at what you've done! The mess!"

And if those words dolling out doggy-shame weren't a balm to my soul, the next were pure intoxicants. I shook with a sudden shiver of thrill and joy as Miss Iria's arms enclosed me in a loving circle of safety.

"And poor Cat (which was Quat!). There, there… No food? You'll get your favorite. But where should I put it where you'll be unmolested? Ah, here on my desk."

I loved my new eating place! The desk was really just a continuation of the kitchen counter, but with a cutout in the cabinetry for a stool. The best part was the window. I could eat and gaze into the back garden, and with only a few more of Miss Iria's newspapers, I could make a splendid nest to nap on. I was glad I'd held my ground, stood up to the dog and made my plight obvious to Miss Iria. I felt so, so… grown up! Wouldn't Trowa love it up here, I wondered to myself? I imagined the two of us snuggled together, food a paw's length away, sharing a litter box, and the luxury of having all the time in the world to nap.

He could help me do away with the dog. Yes. I was positive he would be a big help to me.

Then I heard the scraping of craggy claws on the floor and a yelp. The yelp was from the dog, exiting the room quickly. The other noise came from dear Rashid. The dog was terrified of him, having lost several clumps of fur to Rashid's sharp, edifying pecks, and had disappeared into another part of the house- quietly, too.

Oh, poor Rashid! He had no roost of his own in that room and he wanted to spend time with me, so there he was hobbling and scrabbling his way into the kitchen.

"I see," he declared, glaring up at me from the floor. "I protest this situation most plainly."

"I'll share!" I said.

"I very much disapprove of your being gifted with a new window seat, while I, the watchful eye of the household, am not!" He pulled out two tail feathers and waved them around. And he squawked and screeched something terrible as he dropped the pretty bright feathers in a fit of frustration.

"I needed a place to eat," I explained.

When I heard no remarks from Rashid, I looked out over the edge and saw the magnificent bird testing the rungs of the stool leg, I made a guess, for reachability

"You're trying to climb up to the desk. That looks difficult," I told him.

"It requires concentration. Wings are intended for flight. If I could fly, young kit, I would own every curtain rod!"

"Oh, I'm sure you would and the top of the refrigerator, too!"

"No doubt. Now, I shall find my way up there. Look at this, a ladder."

"Look at _you_!" He had lit upon a way to get up and I was very proud of his achievement. Yes, he had claws and a beak that could snap bones, but he had only two limbs for climbing. What he did have, he used wondrously, I thought. With expert precision, he hooked his beak onto the wood ledge, catching it just so, and then leveraged himself up until one leg could catch hold.

"That's amazing!" I offered him all the encouragement I could. "What a strong neck you have! You're almost there!"

Once he'd established that foothold, he had only to pull up. I gave him a little push with a paw, which he pretended not to need and ignored. When he had both feet securely on the desk, I invited him to share my look-out spot. "Come see the view out the window!"

"I will after I take a moment for refreshments."

I had no idea what he could be talking about until I saw him pluck a single round fruit from the bowl on the counter. "What's that?"

"A grape. You wouldn't like them."

I wrinkled my nose at the smell when he bounced back to the desk, holding the nasty fruit and undulating with it while standing far too close to my nose. "Eew! Eat it then!"

I couldn't watch him tear it apart and slurp down the wet parts. It looked a little like eating an eyeball. "And don't leave the skin here."

"It dries up."

"I don't want the mess."

"Very well."

I was scanning the edges of the lawn when he took care of the detritus, probably flicking the bits to the floor. I didn't care much as long as it wasn't in my space. Yucky fruit.

"Finicky like the missus—"I think I heard the bird mutter, but when he returned to my side he said louder, "Ah, that is a pleasant view of the garden."

"Yes, it is."

And so we sat together, Rashid and I, watching the butterflies flicker about the flowers, the dragonflies buzz past the shallow rock that Miss Iria always kept brimming with fresh water, and the occasional bird drop to the rock's edge and sip. If only Trowa would just materialize in the trees. Like _magic_. I'd give up my new favorite spot in a heartbeat to be with him. If he came. I stared and stared, but he didn't appear.

I know we napped most of the day, because the sun had moved when next I blinked.

"What's moving back there?" I asked my half-awake friend. Of course the first thing I thought of was 'it might be Trowa!'

"Eh?" Rashid squawked in a drowsy sounding voice. He blinked and looked harder. "Who? What? Oh! That's Randy Bandito." Rashid pinned me with a hard stare. "He is probably out hunting for food."

"But he only goes out at night," I argued. Actually I was disappointed that it wasn't a certain handsome cat, but then I remembered my promise to the raccoon. "Oh! Oh, dear! I completely forgot to take him anything!"

How could I have forgotten my responsibility to a friend?! I vaulted from the window seat over the desk and to the floor, only to remember that Miss Iria was filling my dry food bowl at the desk now. "How silly of me! I'm getting awfully forgetful!"

I leaped to the desk in time to see Rashid carefully pushing my bowl toward me.

"Don't forget this," he muttered.

I felt very foolish. If only I could quash all thoughts of Trowa out of my head, there'd be room for other important things! There was no remonstrance I could come up with that was fitting, so I took it like a big cat. "Thank you."

It was hard getting the bowl down without spilling most of the contents. I remembered where the food bag was stored and how Duo and Heero scooped into it. I found I could fill the bowl with no mess, which made me feel good, and that I could carry it out through the garage and out the cat door without losing much at all.

The moment I pushed out the door, I heard the rumbling of Randy's voice. "You're okay!"

I had to set the bowl down to talk and didn't want to do that on the patio, giving me plenty of time to wallow in guilty thoughts. What a terrible friend I'd become! I deserved the evil dog invading my home and stealing my food and my mistress!

"No need to hurry," the raccoon crooned close to my ear. He seemed to understand my bowl-in-mouth-can't-talk dilemma and just fell in line beside me as I headed for the shed. "Watch your step through the turf."

Why was he being so understanding and nice? Why didn't he just tell me how bad I'd been?!

"There!" I said, licking away the taste of plastic bowl and meaty kibble. "I'm so sorry I missed this. I won't do it again!"

"Hey, it's okay, buddy. Relax. I saw you take off with those other cats and figured you'd be doing the town for a few days. Don't worry 'bout ole Randy. I've been doin' for myself for a long time."

"You are too kind," I told him. He may have been doing for himself, but he probably hadn't been doing well because he ate my offering with gusto. "I want to bring you a treat, something… special, but I'm not sure what you like to eat."

"Oh, I eat…"he paused to swallow his mouthful, "I eat most anything I can find: bugs, trash cans have interesting things… fruit in season—"

"Fruit! Yes, I can get you that! Wait here. I'll be right back!"

He seemed perfectly content to stay put and eat, so I raced back to the kitchen. "Rashid! I need a fruit for Randy! Something I can carry."

The orange he rolled off the ledge was horrid tasting. I couldn't bite it to carry it at all. My mouth burned!

"Grapes are nice. Just hold them by the stem," he advised me.

The stem was okay. I could bite that and lift the delicate round balls off the ground. "Thank you!"

I left him behind again as I pranced with my fruit, but I could hear his sigh and comment: "Such a waste… on a raccoon."

"Well, wouldya look at that. Now, that there is a real treat, Cat, a real treat. Thank you." Randy did look very pleased. "I think I'll take this back to my shed where I can enjoy it at my leisure."

"Yes, please do," I told him. "You don't eat little dogs , do you?"

"Live ones? No. No I don't."

_What if I arranged for it to be dead first_, I nearly asked aloud. I didn't, though!

"Oh, well," I sighed, "that's… okay. It's nearly time for Miss Iria to come home and I shouldn't like her to see you out and about."

"No, that wouldn't be good. Well, good to have you back, Cat. See you 'round."

"Tomorrow, Randy!" I shouted at his receding back.

That evening when Miss Iria returned from work, she seemed surprised to find Rashid sitting at my side in the kitchen window. He winced when she called him "a darling", but I knew he loved it by the way he pressed his head into her hand and clucked.

"Oh, you lost your beautiful tail!" She cried out and I wasn't sure if she actually shed tears. She smoothed the pretty feathers between her fingertips. "I must frame these," she said in a soft coo that made me feel all gooey inside, and probably Rashid, too, because he began to sing to her in a rattling voice.

To his delight, the next day she bought him a proper wood perch that fit on the desk and attached a ramp from the floor to the desk, making the climb up far easier. Rashid was touched. His gaze often lingered on the new picture hanging nearby which showcased the two brilliantly hued feathers he'd plucked from his tail in a fit of temper.

We loved the kitchen window seat. It provided us a view of the back garden and less sun in the morning than the front room. From there, I watched for signs of my friends returning. As it turned out, Duo and Heero stayed away for two days and we never saw Wufei or Mill all week- or, sadly, Trowa, not that I'd been expecting him to appear, but I'd hoped he would.

Even then, my friends didn't visit me for long. The temperature was very hot out during the day and we all wanted to nap rather than go adventuring. By nightfall, things had cooled some, but Odin had resorted to locking Heero in his lab again.

"New locks that Heero can't tamper with," Duo added with a snort, "or me."

"He believes I am out 'tomcatting' and is afraid I'll be run over by a car," Heero revealed.

"Well, he's right, _in a way_," Duo muttered and Heero glared at him. "Damn, it's too hot for me. I gotta go find me a fan."

I hated to see them go. They hadn't stopped by for more than a couple minutes. I gave him my most effective begging face. "Please, a little longer?"

"Don't you go giving me the stink-eye, Kitty-cat," Duo laughed. "I'm heading home."

Heero followed him, keeping to the shadows, until they'd both disappeared over the fence.

There was nothing left but to… follow a hopping cricket! The little thing was dark brown, plain, fatter and slower than a grasshopper and generally boring. And then… snap! It was gone! Eaten by a snake!

Duo once described a snake as "a tail with attitude," and loved to chase them in the grass. I know Trowa liked chasing mice and went for the tail first; he had no compunction against snacking on a snake, if he could catch one. It was a captivating thing and I really couldn't _not_ leap for it. Instincts were terrible. They drove you to do uncivilized things. They made one act before thinking, even if it was against one's better judgment. I'd fought my baser drives, and, so far, had been able to curtail the killing of smaller animals.

But the snake was too much. I simply felt I had to have it! I wouldn't need to kill it! I would definitely not eat it; I'd just play!

It slithered across the grass quick as a fish in water. I jumped and it passed through my paws like water. I sprang and it whipped around, changing direction faster than I could, but I kept it within sight and dashed after it. Looming ahead was the hedge separating my territory from that of Relena and Mill. I had a split second to wonder how she was doing with Trowa and whether or not I might see Mill, and then I was yanking at fur snarling in the twigs, pushing forward, and breaking through the shrubbery.

"Oh!" I cried out in frustration as I watched the snake disappear into a hole in the ground safely out of my reach. The pretty lawn stretched for miles, it seemed. Neat and trim. Very plain, I thought, and not at all as interesting as Miss Iria's garden. I took my time sniffing for strangers. There was a whiff of squirrel, cat, Relena and her brother's musky scent, other older smells I couldn't identify, and people, humans. I remembered how peacefully she'd slept at the circus, reclined on a nest of simple straw in the presence of six un-neutered male cats.

That was strange wasn't it? Why all those males were uninterested in a very pretty, young female cat? Why, Duo and Heero showed each other far more affection… oh. Maybe they didn't need a female. Could that be? Wufei seemed terribly attracted to Mill, and I couldn't deny my own feelings or the fact that Trowa was driven to protect me. I'd have to think that over more. And I didn't think it was the sort of thing I should bring up around Rashid. He sang sad songs of lost loves, lovely _girl_ birds all.

The cicadas hummed in the trees overhead; weedy-looking trees, I thought, that had grown up within the hedge and been ignored. Despite the sun, I felt cool air from the grass where there was a bit of shade, and there I spent most of my time, looking for anything interesting and hoping that I might get to see Mill. I didn't even consider approaching the manor house. Heero had drubbed his rules into me and one was to stay clear of houses that were not mine, and so I skirted the hedge. The buzzing of bees hunting the tiny white flowers mostly hidden in the shrubs acted like balm to my senses. My eyelids drooped.

"**B**est I go home," was my last intelligent thought, followed closely by, "Heero's a little too paranoid, I think. This spot in the hedge will do nicely."

The next thing I heard was the sound of a feet stepping on dry leaves close to my ear. Then came darkness! I was wide awake and able to tell I'd been covered by a canvas bag, when an instant later I felt a queasiness in my stomach and I was being lifted off the ground. I twisted and turned, trying my hardest to right myself, feet down, in the bag. I breathed hard, close to panic so I only heard part of what my captors were saying.

"-Think it's the one that they were looking for-?"

"—could be a stray—"

"—reward for this one—"

It was enough, though, to let me know I was in big trouble. The men trapped me while I was sleeping thinking I was Relena, probably. Once they discovered I wasn't the cat they were looking for, would they set me free? I was wearing a collar with my name on it! Trowa had read it! I couldn't rely on these men being able to read, though. I scrabbled at the bag, trying to snag a nail on a loose thread and rip an opening to fall through. Why oh why hadn't I heeded Heero's warnings and gone back home? "Never nap in a strange territory. Travel with a buddy." Heero was a survivor. It looked like I was not.

Even bouncing blindly I could tell I hadn't been carried far—to the manor house, I guessed.

"Mr. Khushrenada will be here shortly," came a sharp woman's voice. "You, get a cage!"

A cage?! Oh, no! I squirmed around to free myself again, but the fabric was tough; my claws just slipped and scratched. I couldn't get a grip to tear.

"This one's a fighter," I heard someone say.

Then came a deeper man's voice, mellow and low asking, "What have we here?"

I froze, my muscles locked in fear as something his voice, nice as it had seemed at first, chilled me to my bones. I guessed this must be the dreaded Treize Khushrenada. Relena's frightened words came back to me from the last time I'd seen her. She had warned us all of the dangers of the breeding program housed in the manor.

What a stupid cat I was!

I squinted from the glare of lights in my eyes as the bag peeled away. A firm hand gripped me by the back of my neck while others held me on my back, a very uncomfortable position exposing my vulnerable underside.

"—too nice to be abandoned. Let's see what the collar says… Ah, yes, one of the Winner's. Just as I thought. I've been dying to get one of their treasured Birmans, but those people never sell. All kept in the family. And this one has a royal pedigree, I'm sure."

I tried biting the hand at my neck, but all I could do was bare my teeth.

"He's got spirit," the woman's voice said. "Think he's breedable?"

"We can check now."

"Luckily, checking to see if a male cat has been neutered is easier than checking to see if a female cat has been spayed," Krushrenada said. He sounded as if he were instructing a child. I hated him. I wondered if everyone working for him thought this was right to do? "Watch and learn. Simply hold the cat so that he's lying on his back with his stomach up. Now, if you would please, Lady Une, part the fur in his lower abdomen area so that you have a view of his testicles."

Oh! I did not like being fondled there! Those were my privates and these humans had no right, no right at all! I squirmed and twisted, but that just made the hands hold me until it hurt, so I stopped.

"- Take the testicle area in your hands gently. Are they large and hard?"

NO! Too hard!

"Yes, they are,' the woman replied and then, thankfully, let go of me.

"Very good news, then. This cat is not neutered. If they feel like soft sacks of fur, your cat has most likely been neutered."

"No, he's intact. So, we keep him?"

"Let's see if we can get him mated with a few of our females first, and then, if successful, we might see about arranging a trade with our neighbor. I'm sure this cat belongs to her and she will be positively frantic that he's gone and will pay just about any price to get him back."

"There are a couple females in heat," the woman said.

"This one's young and probably never mated. We should find a more experienced female, but one not too old."

"There's the grand-daughter of the Duke line- a five generation pedigree."

"Dotty, yes, splendid choice. Here, take, ah… Quatre, here and put him in with her. Watch them! She often strikes out at a new male."

What?! Oh, no!

Again, I fought frantically, but ineffectively. These people knew how to restrain unwilling cats. I was carried through the house, with rooms larger than any I'd ever seen. Past a pair of heavy double-doors into a pristine, white room lined with cages and filled with the scent of cats and the sounds of cats, and the eyes of many, many white cats all glued to me.

I let out the most unholy yowl I could, good and loud. Mill had to be someplace! He was my only hope now for rescue.

"Miiiiiiiiiiiiill!"

**TBC **


	10. Chapter 10

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_Alter-cat-ion_

_Make that intruding, new cat respect you._

_Deny him all privileges._

_Be sure to carry on_

_If the humans give him any attention._

_Make him pay his debt to his ancestors_

_And you._

— _from the poetry of Chang Wufei_

**Chapter 10 - Catatonic Copycat Catty Catalonia**

* * *

"Forget getting him to come help you. He's been gone all day. And you can forget mating with me; you aren't hardly more than a kitten!"

That voice! The tenor of it may my skin crawl and fur bristle. "You are _grossly_ misinformed," I said, feeling justly defensive. I'd been degraded by the touch of the humans and now insulted by a very pretty, but cross-looking feline. I'd had taken enough assault to my dignity for one day. "To begin with, I'm not a kitten! I have my complete Birman coloring!"

There, I felt better already! Amid the catcalls to get my attention, I heard a few pitiful purrs, and mournful meows.

"And in the second place, I have absolutely _zero_ interest in mating with anyone. And for another thing, in particular, I wouldn't mate with any cat shackled by a waspish temperament like yours!"

"Are you finished?" she asked, menace etched into her tone.

I wasn't. I was just getting started, but then another human woman joined the firs,t and what they said caught my attention.

"Lady, Une," said the new person, "that cat, um… 'Oh-four', is not ready to take on an aggressive cat like Dotty. Besides, he's not even a champion-"

"That's only because he's never been shown, but then no Winner cat's been shown for years. They are all hidden away."

"Why would we want to sully the Angoras with-?"

"Miss Noin, I remind you of _who_ it is that gives the orders, and it is _not_ you."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Remember, this is a coveted _male_ Birman from the Winner breeders. No male has _ever_ been available for sale. Even a female is a very rare find. We want to make use of him. Hundreds of kittens would be hundreds of _priceless_ mixed blessings!"

_Hundreds! _ "Meee-oow!"

I reared up, standing on my hind legs, determined to get out of that cage. As hard as I pressed my paws against the top, though, the lid didn't budge!

"So, if Dotty isn't in a suitable mood today, get started with Sal—"

The rest of her words were cut off by the rest of my outcry. That awful catmate of mine had clawed my belly fur! I saw the tuft of soft, pale fur float in the air. When I looked down at the stinging skin, there was a line of red and droplets of blood.

"Meeeeeooooooow!" I howled in indignation as much as pain.

Hands clutched at me, and I just saw red. I lashed out. I fought like crazy. I imagined myself as tough as Duo, as focused as Heero, as zealous as Wufei, and as wild as Trowa.

"—demented cat!"

"Claws?!"

"Inject him NOW!"

I felt a pinch and then all the fight drained from my body. I couldn't keep my eyes open. I couldn't stand. I-I didn't know what happened, but my escape attempt was over, I was sure of that, and then I slept.

When I gained some level of awareness, I drew in a deep breath to further clear my mind. I wasn't home. I hadn't dreamed the entire nightmare of being caught, trapped, caged, and attacked by an irritating female cat. I detected other cats, exclusively male by the scent, so I knew I'd been moved. I heard movement, the clang of metal cage doors, so, I guessed, I was in a new cage. My head was cushioned. A towel. I decided not to move, and drifted back to sleep.

"Mau." I mourned my condition, what I'd lost, my future, Trowa.

I was awakened by hands. "You must eat and drink," the voice told me.

"Why should I?" I shot back. Of course, the human wouldn't understand. "Mau."

I ignored the food. It smelled repulsive. The water, well, try as I like, I was unable to not drink, but after a few sips, I returned to my tiny, dark world of denial. If I didn't acknowledge my surroundings, I could pretend I was still with _him_, napping. I curled up on the towel and closed my eyes. I would do this for the rest of my life, or, at least, as long as I possibly could.

Alas, twenty hours of sleep a day was about it for me. Eventually, I had to stretch, drink, and open my eyes.

Everything was white. The walls and the cats. Even my creamy fur seemed to bleach out under the false lights. At least I had those rosy points, I mused, soberly, looking at the coloring on the plume of my tail.

Wakefulness was horrible. I had nothing to do but think, and, naturally, the only things I could think about brought me grief. Why hadn't I followed Heero's advice? When Heero was around, he could enforce those rules better. I'd really, really meant to follow them. I was a good cat. I guessed that I deserved to face the serious consequences that came from breaking his rules.

I know time passed. The lights dimmed; I think the intention was to simulate nighttime. My water bowl and towel were changed. When I looked out of my cage, eyes regarded me from the confines of other cages. None of them were Milliardo. It was that realization that finally made me give up. He'd been my last hope. A friend.

I was alone and it was nobody's fault but my own.

Eventually, I ate to avoid starvation. I heaved most of it up anyway.

(o)

I don't know how I'd slept through the handling and another cage move, but I woke up to different smells and sounds.

"Hello, honey."

What a nice voice! I opened my eyes to see another cat looking at me. She'd licked my face and was coming closer to do it again! To avoid the contact (not that it didn't feel nice, but I didn't know her at all and it was far too familiar contact for strangers) I hauled myself up off my towel. My legs wobbled a second, then held.

"Hello! Who are you?" I said abruptly, for me.

"I'm called Sally. You, though, need no introduction."

"I don't?" I couldn't imagine having met her.

"You are Oh-four," Sally said with a smug expression.

"Who? Not me!" Remembering my manners, I started anew. "Pardon, me, Miss Sally, you must have heard wrong. My name is Quatre. That is French for the number four, though."

"Quatre? Well, the people here refer to you as 'Oh-four'." She must have seem a look of despair on my face, because she added quickly, "Quatre it is!"

"Thank you."

"You are a polite cat, or should I say… Cra-tra?" She tried not to laugh; I gave her that much credit.

"I don't much care anymore." I sighed and prepared to lie back down.

"Oh, now, don't you go back to sleep, honey. I just got you to talking. It can be awfully lonely sitting in a cage day after day with nothing new to do."

"They never let you out?" I asked, hoping it wasn't true. That would be just too terrible a way of life to contemplate, and I'd been contemplating some pretty bleak existences.

"Not often. There's a regular schedule. Daily exercise in a pen. Free romp time around the estate is rare. Hmmm, talking to someone nice like you is a treat."

I decided to like Sally and trust her a little with my plight. "I-I was wondering if you'd seen Milliardo lately?"

"A few nights ago, when I was in the pen taking a run, he strolled past. Why?"

"He's a… I've met him. We are, _were_, neighbors. I was just wondering—"

"If he'd come help you out? Don't count on that cat for anything. He's so above it all. You'd think he was a prince and rest of us his minions."

"He is very…" I hunted my wobbly brain for the right word and had to take what I got, "… grand."

"A grand, pompous ass, you mean. He has the run of the house most of the time, so don't count on seeing him soon. Those that have placed in the shows get favorable treatment. You'll see."

My heart plummeted. If Milliardo hadn't seen me come in, maybe he didn't even know I was incarcerated here? Mill had been my best chance at freedom. Without him, how could I escape? I could be in this dreadful place for a long time. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Why would you be sorry for me? You've done nothing."

"I'm sorry you don't have the same freedom he gets."

"Oh, I had more last year. I took ribbons."

"You did? Well, that must have been… nice."

"For a while being out, being in shows, was exciting, but then…" her voice trailed off and the faraway look in her eyes made me feel sad. "I had kittens."

"Oh." I bet she missed them. I didn't ask. I didn't have to.

"Champions end their careers as breeding stock for more. And here I am." Sally stared at me until I felt uncomfortable. "And here _you_ are."

"I'm sorry." I was and I couldn't even pin down the "for what" of it, there were so many reasons.

"Am I so… unappealing?" she asked.

"What? Oh, no! You are very nice and very pretty."

She bumped me gently. "So are you."

How embarrassing!

"Kittens with your coloring and my lustrous fur would be even prettier, don't you think?"

"I-I don't know. I hadn't thought… I mean… It hadn't occurred to me to consider—"I was so flustered I didn't know what to say.

"You are a strange one," Sally purred. "Is this your first time?"

Oh, dear. I knew what she was asking and never felt so off-kilter before, except when Trowa and I first met, and that was for an entirely different reason.

"I'll make it easy for you. No fighting. I'll just hunker down and you can climb aboard."

I could do absolutely no such thing! "You don't actually want me to… do that, do you?"

"Not particularly, but… the nursery is very nice and any change is a welcome one."

"I-I am sorry! I can't… I don't… want to…" I had backed into the corner of her cage as far as I could.

She purred. "You don't feel desire for mating, do you?"

"N-no."

"Very odd. Milliardo claimed he could take it or leave it, as he put it. I'd never heard that other males were like that. Go figures, with a sweet-tempered cat like you."

I didn't want that conversation to go on at all. "Can we just nap instead?"

"Of course, dear. Come closer and I'll curl around you. I promise not to bite."

I awoke some time later to being dragged from Sally's cage and carried to another sterile room with chemical smells and white walls. There I was held down in place on my belly so I couldn't move, and one by one my claws were trimmed short.

Would I ever climb a tree again, I wondered, and then mourned some more for Trowa and everything Trowa-related that I was losing. My claws, my freedom, my happiness.

(o)

I leaped through a burning ring of fire just barely avoiding the gnashing teeth, sharp as knives, from the lion's maw. The roar of the crowd inspired me to spring off an invisible platform into the air and then fly. I really could fly. Down below, a pond of water appeared too small to possibly break my fall safely, and yet I just knew it would in spite of the fact that I hated water, not that the wandering thoughts were linking logically together at all. I simply accepted what was unfolding around me, pointed my little white tipped paws down, and fell. Faster and faster, I picked up speed as I fell and fell. In an unexpectedly sudden event, cold water splashed my face.

I instantly awoke with a wet face and paws from overturning my water bowl, but there was more- I heard a disturbance. Faint at first, then louder as the noise drew closer.

The other cats around me meowed concern.

"Quatre? Are you awake? S-sssay!" hissed a voice near my ear.

I jumped only to find I couldn't go far with another cat wrapped around me.

"Remember me? Sally?" she purred wide-eyed, probably suppressing a chuckle.

I must have looked pretty pathetic. Oddly, how I looked was only a passing thought at the moment. More interesting things were happening. "Yes," I answered her and shook the annoying droplets off my whiskers. I was not going to let myself be mortified by my unfortunate circumstances.

Crash!

"Oh!" I definitely made out the sound of breaking glass and the shouting of men from beyond our door. I looked over my shoulder to keep the door in view. "What's going on?"

"I don't know any more than you," she said. Her eyes were ablaze with excitement and I could feel her pent up energy beside me. "No one else does either, from what I'm overhearing from the other cats. I've never heard such a racket before."

I could not stop my heart from beating a little faster and I didn't attempt to suppress the upwelling of hope from inside. I felt the determination of Trowa, his desire, his whole being like a force of pure will homing in on me.

"I'm here! Yes! Yes!" I beat upon the cage. There had to be a way out! "Sally! Help me! If we both try, I know we can force the cage door!"

"All right!"

She pushed and I kicked. The lid bent, but it didn't open.

"With all you've got!" she cried out.

"OH!" The cage rolled and there was that sickly feeling of not having all my paws firmly planted on the ground. We both twisted and turned, following the roll off the ledge, the final tip and lurch, and the thrilling fall.

The hard landing wasn't bad, so we must not have fallen far.

"Ugh! Are you all right?" I heard her call to me and shook my head to clear it.

I was five cat-lengths away from her, the cage door hung off one hinge. "We're free!"

"In a way. Oh, and I'm fine, too." Her tone was, as always, understanding and wry at the same time.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked about you first. We must be ready to run the moment that outer door opens."

"You are very sure of yourself, dear Quatre." She stepped closer to me, mincing around the tiny puddle of water split from the water bowl, the little I hadn't inadvertently bathed in, and booting the kibble bits out of her way.

"I'm very, very sure of my friends. I feel they are near, Trowa especially."

"I hope to meet these friends of yours. They must be terribly clever."

"Oh, they are!"

"So are you."

"ME! ME, too!" I heard the horrible, shrill caterwaul first and then another cage propelled itself, it seemed, from on high. The flimsy wire cage broke apart on impact, leaving a wild-eyed and slightly-stunned cat free to walk away.

"Dorothy!"

I cringed, but Sally appeared to know and, unbelievably_, like_ the other cat. Not so unbelievable, I guess. They'd been together in that awful place a long time, maybe even grown up together.

I glanced at her and Dorothy stared back, and felt how keenly she wanted her freedom, too. And in spite of our earlier, unfriendly encounter, I couldn't wish her to remain in kitty-hell. "You must come with us, too. I just know Miss Iria will take good care of you, and Rashid… He's very wise and adores cats—"

The rest of my opining had to be put on hold. The door latch slid back and the outer door sprung open.

Trowa, long and lean on those incredible, long legs, stood on the other side. "The cavalry has arrived."

"Trowa!"

"Ah!" Dorothy howled in _harmonical_ surprise.

"It's all right; this is Trowa, my best friend and you can trust him with your life."

Sally looked him over and must have liked what she saw; she accepted him immediately. "You rode in on a horse?"

Cavalry, oh, of course. Mounted troops.

"Sometimes. Sometimes a tiger."

I was probably the only other one who knew he wasn't joking. Dorothy sniffed as if to dismiss him completely.

Trowa didn't seem to care what they thought; his eyes were on me and me alone. "This way, ladies."

"I hope you weren't including me under the title of females," I said by way of greeting him.

He head-bumped me affectionately. "You smell like cat-in-heat."

"I've been surrounded by… _that_… for days!"

I caught him scanning the room, the walls lines with cages of cats, all upset.

There's nothing we could do for them all. Not yet. And he recognized it. "We should go." And his expression told me he understood some of the horrors I'd been through.

"What kind of creature are you?!" Leave it Dorothy to question her rescuer as if he were an alien dropped from the sky.

"Hero for hire," he chirped. "C'mon!"

We rounded a corner, hearing the shouts of humans, but not encountering any, and there under a window I spied Relena sitting and washing her face. She appeared perfectly at ease, while two men were coming at her from opposite sides.

"Shouldn't we help her?" I asked Trowa.

"Not if we don't have to."

What was wrong with Trowa? "There must be something… a way to help!"

"There's always a way," he said with a hint of burr in his purr, suggesting to me that he wasn't being totally serious, "and it usually doesn't work."

"But-!"

"Hold on! Watch Duo and Heero working as a team."

The men exchanged words and then stepped toward her. Duo sprang from the floor to a chair and from there onto the back of one of the men. His claws must have sunk in, because the man screamed in pain and thrashed about.

This action provided just enough distraction for Heero to launch himself at the other man, biting and clawing at a leg.

Relena dashed toward us. "The door's this way!"

I opened my mouth to tell her I wasn't leaving without my friends, but it was Sally and Dorothy who reacted.

"Where did _you_ come from?" Dorothy demanded. "Where's Milliardo? He went looking for you."

I guess she had seen Mill wandering the halls or overheard the people talking about him. Of course, that had been several weeks ago since we'd all met over the fence and Relena was staying in my shed. An age ago, it seemed.

"By the stairs!" Relena cried out. "The door's not far from there," she directed that comment at Trowa.

As reluctant as I was to leave Duo and Heero, Trowa urged me ahead. "They'll be fine, but not if you get caught again and make all this a waste of time."

"Fine. I'm moving." I hadn't gone far when I heard the wailing whine of Wufei's call. Where was that coming from, I wondered?

Trowa skittered to a halt in front of me, just as we reached the stairway Relena had mentioned. "Up," Trowa said and I looked up at the top of the stairs.

Standing with his back mostly to us was Treize Khushrenada. Looking through the space between his legs we could see Wufei crouched on the floor. In his mouth was a slender black plastic object.

"Put that down!" the man roared at my friend.

Poor Wufei! "What does he have?" I asked aloud.

Sally heard me. "It opens doors," she whispered, "The thing the Siamese cat is holding."

_If Heero were here he'd know all about a device like that,_ I thought. I cast about for Heero and Duo, but they hadn't joined us. I hoped they'd already run out the door.

At Trowa's warning growl, I turned back to the drama playing out at the top of the staircase. Khushrenada slowly removed his jacket. As I wondered at that, Trowa chirped, "Watch out! He's going to throw the coat and trap you under it!"

Wufei didn't move, though.

"Didn't he hear?" I cried out. He could be trapped! I could save him!

I tensed my back and readied to leap, but Trowa pushed me back.

"Stay put. Mill's there," he said. "Let him prove his worth."

I saw the flash of white and heard purrs from the lady cats around me, and then Mill skirted around us and raced up the stairs, meowing all the way.

"Milliardo?" Khushrenada called out, his voice raspy. "Is that you-?"

I watched the man turn our way, looking for the cat he clearly heard and possibly recognized.

Wufei must have been waiting for the man's attention to be distracted elsewhere, because he moved like a dog was on his tail. Forgotten for the moment, Wufei dashed for his freedom, bumping the man's legs as he slipped between them and headed down the stairway. As much as I hated the man, it was horrible to watch him take that wobbly, disastrous step backwards. In that split second, I could tell he wasn't going to make it. With arms flapping like a bird's to regain his balance, it wasn't possible for him to stop his momentum; people aren't cats. My only hope was that both Wufei and Mill would outstrip the man as he missed the stair step and fell to his fate. He could crush them both!

"Get moving!" I heard Trowa howl over all the other caterwauling and shouting going on.

Suddenly a woman I recognized, Noin, loomed in front of me. I thought she was there to scoop me up, but her hands flew to her mouth as she screamed, "Treize! Oh, no!"

Wufei and Mill skittered past, running full tilt. Trowa went one way and I the other, circling Noin, and then headed for the door. At least three white cats were in the lead, and then from the left thundered the men covered in bleeding scratches who'd we'd left with Duo and Heero.

Don't let them stop us, I whimpered!

But they turned to go to the aid of their fallen master, I assumed, because they didn't slow down to look at us. Duo and Heero streaked out the door, Duo's massive tail knocking over a bronze statue of the cat goddess Bastet. The ringing gong-like noise reverberated throughout the hall. I caught a glimpse of Wufei's tail as he rocketed over the statuary, followed by a white froth of white cats, then Trowa and I.

Out the door, over the stone entry, across the pavement and onto the grass cats scampered at top speed.

The garden, just clear that and we'd be home!

I just had to out run the voices coming up from behind!

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**Mixed Blessings**** ~:~ Cat Tails**

_People who hate cats, will come back as mice in their next life._

— _from the prophesies of Chang Wufei_

_(orig. from Faith Resnick, just another cat lover)_

**Chapter 11 - Yowl Come Back**

* * *

It's funny what images you remember following a terrifying experience. Thinking back, I could no longer even recall the last spurt across the grass to the hedge or passing the through; although, you'd think I'd remember that annoying snag of twigs on my long fur or coming to a standstill in my own garden. The relief at being home safe! I think my mind had problems concentrating on all the chaos going on around me, and so I'd grab hold of one thing and just stare.

There were many cats lounging helter-skelter, many white, and looking for all the world like they belonged there—or, as Duo would say, "right here in my own backyard."

One of the funniest sights, I recall, was that of Rashid in the window looking out, seeing us, and then hopping back and forth, frantically, from foot to foot on his perch. My mind supplied the circus calliope music and, oh, it was very, very funny! I could almost hear his screeches and calls, too.

And then, I _could_! I really _could_ hear Rashid, outside! His excited calls cut though the cacophony of other noise, mostly of humans talking; he just appeared outside on Miss Iria's shoulder.

"Cat?! Cat! It IS you! And you… you are all right! My heart, it shall never be the same!"

A feeble wave of my paw was all I could manage, but it seemed to satisfy Rashid and he calmed down and stopped shrieking.

"Thanks for that." I heard those words spoken in a gentle voice, warm and soft, right by my ear. Trowa.

And there was Heero's Odin! He was standing very close to Miss Iria, interesting enough. The security man laughed and patted her back, like they were old friends and shared a look of relief.

"Like I told you," Odin said. His voice carried to my ears so clearly, "there they all are! All the cats! Good, Lord! How many are there? Two, four, six… Why is my cat licking that over-sized hairball?"

_Poor Duo_, I was thinking, his lovely fur was a bit mussed, but he looked so alive and happy. Heero paused in his licking to scan the cats, glowering in the direction of the new ones. He looked tired. I wondered how far my friends had travelled to save me. Someone had gone to collect Trowa. So far. My dear, dear friends.

Go ahead and glower all you like, Heero! You've earned the right. I didn't care as long as that crazy Dorothy cat kept her distance from me.

Oh, what an awful whine! Sirens! That hurt my ears! Even my teeth ached!

I think Miss Iria wanted to pick me up, but Rashid was a trial, picking at her hair.

"You all right?" Trowa nudged me slightly. "You're too quiet."

"I didn't eat," was all I needed to say.

"Lean on me. Rest."

My muscles obeyed his command and I sank back onto his firm shoulder. "But aren't you tired as well? You had to have run all the way from the circus—"

"That was last night. We stayed at the Koi ponds to talk strategy." Trowa purred like a car's engine, loud and strong.

And then Mr. Tam just appeared… I hadn't seen him a long time, I just realized. He held another source of annoyance, and noise, the dog. He looked angry, both the man and his dog.

"—Just came for Ruggles. Look what I find! More cats! Is there no end to your fixation on these animals?"

If there was an answer, I missed it.

Mr. Tam wasn't done with his rant, though. "The Khushrenada estate has emergency vehicles going up the drive! What have you done, Iria?!"

"She has done nothing. Watch your tone of voice!" That was Mr. Odin chastising Mr. Tam.

I didn't understand why Duo was so curious about Mr. Tam, but I noticed him smoothing up to the man's jacket when Ruggles growled. That annoying dog could be tough when held safely four feet off the ground. From my vantage point, Ruggles appeared very small and helpless. But noisy just the same.

Mr. Tam pushed Duo away and not gently. "You nasty cats and all your fur! Go away!"

I'd never seen Mr. Tam so angry before. He traded Ruggles to his other arm and shook a finger at Mr. Odin. "Odin Lowe, butt out of this. I passed vans of news media crew heading up this way! Iria!"

"Is that all?" said Mr. Odin. "From what I know, the police ought to be putting in a show any time."

"I thought that Tam guy and your Miss Iria were friends," Trowa said. He looked moderately interested in the goings on of my household.

I couldn't really blame him. I'd been so involved in meeting new friends and my own life. Miss Iria being so distracted meant I could sneak out of the house to meet Trowa. I'd neglected to notice what was happening inside. "I guess I was vaguely aware of some shouting. Rashid had mentioned a few arguments."

"Humans. What nonsense." Trowa sighed with the sound of exasperation.

"Greetings. I couldn't help but overhear."

I smelled fishy breath and looked up into the face of my Siamese friend. "Hi, Wufei. Join us, please. Thanks for coming after me."

He sniffed. "No thanks is necessary." He shrugged off any argument I might come up with and seemed eager to comment on what Trowa had said. "Nonsense describes most of what they trouble over. If humans would basically do as they are supposed to and simply meet our important needs, the world would be a better place. Who cares about their silly problems?"

"Only when they involve us," I put in. I welcomed Duo and Heero as they joined us. "Hi! My heroes!"

"The world is our oyster—" Wufei rhapsodized.

"More like our can of tuna," Duo corrected with good humor. "And people are just there to serve it up. Am I right, 'Ro?"

"For the most part. They often act to relieve tedium, but…" Heero's voice faded as his head turned away. "Isn't that Howard?"

We all turned to look. The only person I didn't recognize, and, so, had to be Duo's Howard, wore a big grin and a wild flower-print shirt. I mean it was bright enough to rile Rashid, who started squawking from Miss Iria's shoulder.

"It sure is!" Duo wailed, loud enough to make Wufei jump out of his skin, so to speak, and bring Milliardo our way from the other side of the garden. "Must be a real hullaballoo to bring Howie out of his lab."

Duo hopped to his feet, that luxurious tail swishing through the air in an upward sweep. It was so sad to see it looking a little scruffy with burrs and grass caught up in it. Obviously he'd run through the fields, probably with Heero to warn Trowa of my absence.

"Oh, your beautiful tail is all mussed," I said to him. I felt light-headed. Everything was dream-like the way people and cats drifted in and out of my view. Lack of sustenance must have made me a very pitiful cat.

I did notice it was quieter. No dog! No Mr. Tam, either. Unexpected but a huge relief. I didn't know how long it would last, so I decided to enjoy the improvement. I must have said some of that out loud.

With a wistful tone, Wufei asked, "I wonder if he left the fish?"

"I believe Odin likes Miss Iria." It was Heero's voice, but the flat tone didn't give me a clue as to whether or not he cared that his human had a possessive-looking arm draped across my human's shoulders.

"That would be nice," I said, "maybe you and he will move in here with us?"

I thought that sounded lovely and didn't understand the undercurrent of grumbling I could hear from Trowa and Duo. Heero just looked down at me kindly and licked one of my ears.

"Since you're all here," I said, pausing to yawn and stand for a change. "I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming to my rescue."

My voice sounded as if it were coming from another cat. I'd never before felt so addle-brained; I was suffering now. Too much sun, excitement, and stress and too little food, fun, and all the comforting love I felt around me now.

Whatever I'd said generated a murmur of meowing "no trouble" and "you would have done the same" kind of comments.

Over the other cat voices, came Duo's. "I bet you're curious how we all knew what happened to you?" He pawed me on a leg. He was gentle, but it nearly knocked me over.

"Maybe you should sit before you fall," Trowa suggested.

"I-I think I will."

Suddenly, or so it seemed to my muddled brain, I noticed that Duo and Heero had left. Trowa must have guessed why I looked confused, because he was right there, purring into my ear.

"Duo was gloating about knowing his way around your kitchen, so I sent them to find you some food."

"Oh, that's very thoughtful." I accepted his nuzzling and purring and licked his muzzle in return.

"Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep."

I chuckled softly and to stare in the direction I'd last seen Duo, my eyes alighting, instead, on Wufei. He must have been the one talking. He could say the funniest things when he was meaning to be serious. His expression combined being offended and his usual look of having acquired the wisdom of the ages naturally.

"What are you staring at? It's a Chinese warrior saying!"

Milliardo smoothed up the entire side of the Siamese cat, setting them both to purring loudly. "If I sit in the sunshine for another hour or so, I think I shall be satisfied."

"Yes. It is a fine day for sunning," Wufei agreed. All traces of irritation vaporing in the glow of Mill's admiration, and the sunshine.

I closed my eyes and let the sun bake me a little. Everything was wonderful.

"Oh, aren't they just dear?" I heard Miss Iria telling someone. "Oh! And will you look at that?!"

A voice I didn't know at all laughed heartily and then said, "Well, now I know where Duo hangs out all the time," the man, who I now assumed to be Howard, laughed some more. "I'd seen the brown cat of Lowe's around, but, heh, heh… He's found your stash!"

Heero, who'd apparently done the carrying, dropped the bowl of food at my feet and sat to clean his face with his paw. Duo spit a mouthful of dry food out, near the bowl. "There! Some fell out."

"Thank you so much." I stuck my face in the bowl and automatically starting gulping.

"Slow down," Trowa warned me. "Chew."

I did. I could hear loud crunching that wasn't from me and cast about for the source. Heero was glowering to his right.

"Duo, what are you eating?" he growled.

"Nothing? Oh, some of that kibble crap stuck to my tongue, you know?"

"Our friend's starving and you're snacking on his first food in days."

"Hey! I wasn't snacking! Just… cleaning up the debris. Wouldn't want Miss Iria to think we were mess-makers, would we?"

No, we wouldn't, but Duo's wide-eyed innocent look fell short of complete honesty. No one cared, though. Even the grumpy-looking Heero pressed up against him, all forgiven.

When I'd eaten all I could, I cleaned my face. There was more "Cute" and "Adorable" talk going on around me.

Duo warned me, "Incoming cuddling!"

I tensed, ready to have a human lift me off my feet, when Rashid let out a testy screech.

"Don't lean over that way! I shall lose my footing!" the bird had said.

Miss Iria, straightened, somehow knowing what he meant, or maybe his claws were grasping her shoulder a little too tightly. In any case, she gave up her plan to grab me.

The arrival of three men and a woman, all strangers and all in dark uniforms, caused a new stir. This possibly had been the source of Miss Iria's distraction as well.

"Investigators," Heero explained. "If they do their job, they will sort everything out and arrest the guilty parties."

"Look! It's your Mr. Odin that they want to talk to," I pointed out.

"I should think so," Heero said. "He called them after I pointed out the obvious."

"It was 'Ro who went over the recordings after you didn't show up the other day," Duo told us. "You know the security recordings?"

"I do, but the cameras are in my territory, and I was captured… trespassing, I suppose, on the property of the OZ breeders."

"Heh, heh, yeah, well… 'bout that. 'Ro an' I did our own repositioning of the cameras after Mill came over looking for Relena."

"I didn't like what he had to say," Heero said defensively.

"You didn't like him coming over, but, yeah, Relena wanting to run away from the place—"

"They were wearing _tracking_ devices!" Heero yowled a little louder. I think the notion that you had to keep locators on your cats to keep them in line really spoke to him, in a bad way. "And sent men after them. I didn't like their operation."

"And it's a good thing you didn't," Duo said sweetly, mollifying his buddy somewhat. "Considering… how it all turned out, and all. There! He's taking the uniforms to the hedge camera now."

We all watched as Mr. Odin gestured up to the surveillance camera. I could make out a few words: "—wind, squirrel, something knocked it out of kilter. All I know is—"

"I understand, then, that there are security tapes of what happened," I said, and Heero nodded agreement. "And that you made Odin aware of it."

"I reviewed the recordings, as I'd seen him do, located the capture frames, and caused it to loop through the most incriminating images." Heero narrowed his eyes and straightened his back, and then stretched luxuriously.

"We believe you," Duo said. "Gotta admire how you've really upped your skill level with that stuff."

I shared the same opinion of impressive Heero's abilities. "And Odin understood immediately what had happened?"

"Yes," Heero said, taking up the story again. "I knew he would review the other logs to find views of us checking the perimeter of your territory and see that you were no longer on the premises. He would follow up, because that is his expertise. That left Duo and I to gather help to free you."

"I'm so glad you didn't try to do enter that place, just the two of you."

"Too dangerous," Trowa said.

"You got that right. Two cats like us would stand out like crows in a dovecot…" Duo looked thoughtful for a moment, like he was re-living an event from his past, "… which really are conspicuous, believe me. So, we hustled it out to 'Fei's, and low and behold found Mill there. He'd seen the whole thing, of course, and didn't know how to find us, but he did remember the way to the ponds."

"I had to wait to get away," Milliardo said. "I hid in an out building until the guardsmen weren't canvassing the hedges, and then made my way to the Long Clan Koi ponds." He looked directly at Heero, daring him to find fault. "An all-white pelt has its drawbacks."

"Not many," said Wufei, his voice unusually ragged. "I can think of several positive features right off the top of my head."

"Hmm, really?" Mill swooped around, fur feathering the air in a silken veil, his tail blanketing our favorite Siamese. "Tell me more—"

"I ran into _that_ lot coming out of the pipe," said Trowa. "They were about to enter."

"You were on your way to see me?" I asked. He _had_ to be if he was already _that _far from the circus.

"Yeah." Trowa didn't meet my eyes. He concentrated on some distant point over my shoulder. It must have been fascinating, because he kept on staring even after I reached out with my paw and patted his neck.

"You'd missed me already?"

"Missed you?! Daredevil Cat here was leaving the – urk! Hey, 'Ro! Whatcha go and hit me like that?"

Heero hadn't actually hurt Duo; it was clear to me and everyone else that Duo was about to tell me something that he wasn't supposed to, and Heero had silenced him in the fastest way.

By this time Relena, Sally, and Dorothy had joined our all-male contingent. The sun had moved behind the trees. Overhead the leaves rustled in the breeze. It was very pleasant.

Now that they were close, I noticed something different, something missing. "Your collars! They are missing!" I said.

"Heero removed them," Relena said, "like he did for Mill and me."

"When-?"

"Soon after we all gathered here," Heero said. "Tracking devices, remember?"

He did have thing against those; I did remember that. "Where did you put them?" I asked.

He directed his glower towards his friend. "I gave them to Duo to get rid of."

"Duo? You didn't…" I hesitated, scanning the little watering stone for pink collars. There were none visible.

"Don't get you whiskers in a frazzle," Duo said. "I stuffed them in a pocket. Mr. Tam's, oh, and I may have crushed them so they're permanently out of commission. You don't want them, do you?"

Sally and Dorothy actually laughed. No, none of us wanted the collars returned. "Mr. Tam might have a difficult time explaining how he got them, should one of those investigators ever track him down," I noted, but, honestly, I found it difficult to care about him.

Everyone was watching me, for some reason. "They're telling me about their rescue operations," I filled in the newcomers.

"Good," Sally said. "We've got something to add, when the time comes."

I waited for the white fur to settle a moment then asked, "So, what did you do next? You couldn't have come after me right away. I know I was caged through at least two sleep cycles." I couldn't say how many, though. Cats just don't keep track of time that way.

"No," Heero said. "We gathered in my lab and reviewed the tapes. Milliardo told us what he knew and we drew up a plan. He and Relena knew the building layout; she, where the female cats were housed, and he, the male. We decided how to enter, divide up, and attack."

Heero wasn't one to embellish a story; he didn't waste words or get sidetracked. I noticed everyone else seemed satisfied with his recounting and let him continue without comment.

"Milliardo and Relena led us in, using a route known only by the cats. Duo and I ran one hall, distracting people. Milliardo and Wufei took the other direction, leaving Relena and Trowa in charge of the extraction."

"But she could have been captured as well if all hadn't gone well. That was very brave of you, Relena!" I told her.

"It was nothing, really. Everyone was running madly about trying to catch the intruders. Mr. Khushrenada himself ordered his men to trap the loose cats. I wasn't noticed at all. Trowa is an awfully clever cat and those long legs of his! He could reach door latches!"

"I can never tell you properly how terribly happy I was to see you again," I said, looking up into Trowa's face.

"I'll bet you can—"Duo began, but, once again, his comment was tromped upon, as well as his paw, by Heero's all-consuming need to finish reporting what had happened.

"How did you escape the cage?" Heero asked.

"Oh, he heard the ruckus you all were making outside and we rock and rolled the cage to the floor—"

"So did I!" Dorothy chimed in. "I did everything they did and all by myself!"

"You were very determined to get free," I allotted her that much I still hadn't forgotten the deep scratch she'd given my belly. It still pulled all along the healing line.

"When I saw that Trowa was in the door," Relena went on, "I rushed away to where I knew Heero would be. That's when these terrible men started after me! I would surely have been caught if Heero—"

"And Duo," Heero added.

"—and Duo, yes, of course, hadn't been there to distract them."

"I saw part of that, I think," I said. "And Wufei on the stairway! How very brave you were to face off with that awful man all by yourself!"

"I knew Mill was on the way," Wufei said modestly. He just glowed with pride, though.

"I think Mr. Khushrenada died when he fell," I said.

Wufei appeared unaffected. "I should have preferred a more active role in that, but I merely got in his way."

"What's important is that we destroyed the command structure," Heero said.

"Yep! Nipped it in the bud," Duo agreed.

"And freed Quatre," Trowa said.

"And us!" Dorothy maintained.

"I wonder what's to become of us and the other cats left behind?" Sally said in a wistful manner, not expecting an answer.

With so much out of our control, what could we cats do? What was the use of pondering the future? We lived in the moment, eluding the obstacles and accepting the handouts humans set before us.

We lay in dappled sun on the lawn and watched the human commotion as another man appeared, one I'd never seen before. He stood out. This one was small, much shorter than Mr. Odin and nearly as slender as Miss Iria. He wore blue coat to his feet.

"It's Master Long," Wufei hissed, short of breath. "He never leaves the clan compound."

"Apparently news travels fast," Milliardo said. "He just said something about 'hearing the news'."

It was the middle of the afternoon, food appeared on the porch, and the people gathered to eat and talk more.

"We should move closer," Duo suggested.

"Don't expect them to feed you," Heero warned him.

Duo stared at his friend a moment, maybe altering what he was about to say a couple times over. "Stuff drops to the ground…"

"And you want to hear what they have to say, don't you?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Duo seemed pleased with that suggestion and moved on his own.

Wufei scooted out of his way with a hiss. I guess he'd learned not to block Duo from his goal, or get bowled over. We didn't move far. Some of us, like me, didn't move at all. I felt comfortable sprawled over Trowa. He made a soft warm cushion. I could hear any important information as it transmitted from cat to cat.

"Who is this Hilde person I hear the people talking about. And Noin? Is that a name?"

Relena chose to answer me. "Many of us received shabby treatment and at times cruel, always unfair. Hilde was a girl who worked there, who often spoke out against our living conditions. Suddenly we no longer saw her."

"What they are saying about her," Dorothy reported, "is that she is filing suit, whatever that is, against the OZ breeders for being unlawfully dismissed from her job—"

"Well, that explains that!" Relena declared with a triumphant meow.

Dorothy glared at her. "I wasn't finished. Apparently, Hilde was one of several employees, and Miss Noin was another, who have filed a complaint against OZ for inhumane conditions. I told you it wasn't right! I fought tooth and nail against most of the partners they had picked out for me! And the cages! Far too restricted!" she opined.

"Well, that sounds like good news," Milliardo said. "It appears that the OZ breeders have been shut down."

"Well done!" I said. I felt like cheering, but I knew how people frowned on cats making too much noise, so I settled for a lot of purring.

"Don't get too excited," Heero warned. "It appears they are sorting out what to do with 'the cat problem'."

Meaning us.

We were all quiet now, listening for clues as to our futures.

"The cats could be distributed around the neighborhood."

I don't know who proposed that, possibly Duo's Howard, but it was debated for few minutes.

"I suppose that male white cat and one of the females could come live with me."

That had been Odin who made that offer. The look on Heero's face was, not pleased, frightening, actually. Heero seemed to like Odin, admire his work; at least he seemed impressed by the man's competence. I'm certain Heero had worked very hard and trained the man well, so I could imagine how disappointed Heero must have been to hear him utter those words.

Luckily, that situation never came to pass and another offer held up.

"I could house the Angoras at the Zen Garden," Master Long offered. "Just these four. They seem to get along very well with my Siamese, especially the male, which can be tricky."

"Zen Garden?" Sally spoke up, "So, you have an out-of-doors to enjoy?"

"He has practically all the out-of-doors, and some very attractive water features," Mill said.

"To protect!" Wufei insisted. "You would have a duty to protect the ponds and all the territory."

Dorothy extended her impressive claws. "I can do that."

"It sound perfect to me also," Sally agreed. "How about you, Relena?"

With one last lingering glance in Heero's direction—he was totally immersed in cleaning Duo's ears and paid her no attention—she sighed a heavy sigh relinquishing her claim, yielding defeat, at last. "It sounds like a lovely place, Wufei."

"Oh, yeah," Duo said. "And with Mill to entertain him, 'Fei wouldn't be such a fish-killer! Heh, heh…"

"I am not a—I improve the stock by culling the weak and inferior!"

"Of course you do," Milliardo purred soothingly. "And I'll help to bear this great burden."

The white cat's goings-on so amused me that I missed all the other excitement until Trowa nudged me to get up. Heero's fur stood on end, and Trowa's tail twitched like crazy. What had I missed?!

"Whoa, 'Ro, sounds like you'll be getting a family to live with, huh?" Duo said. He sounded pretty happy about it. "Doesn't sound as if Howie minds if I move in, too, eh? Pretty cool."

As we understood, and what was explained to me, was that Mr. Odin was suggesting that Miss Iria and he cooperatively buy out the OZ breeders.

"Does that mean Kitty-Cat here will get thirty or so new brothers and sisters?" Duo asked.

Yay?

"Oh, that's not possible!" I said, trying not to whine. "I mean, I'd treat them all kindly, of course, the poor cats, but I can't lie to you. I'd be looking forward to them moving on to new homes."

"No I believe what they are proposing, he and Iria, is that he move in with her, including me," Heero said. "The other cats wouldn't move in. There's would be a cattery or they'd be shuffled out. I don't know."

Heero didn't elaborate further. We were all confused. The people were getting up and collecting there things. Howard and Iria helped Master Long gather the white cats, while the small man called Wufei to his side.

"Well, goodbye, Wufei!" I said with all our friends. "See you later."

He waved a paw as he was lifted from the ground and carried off in the arms of the one man he admired.

"There goes the white fur collective," Duo said. "That'll keep Wufei occupied."

"Dorothy is a very scary cat," I said. "She alone will keep him in line, plus all the other cats at the ponds."

"Howard's leaving," Heero observed. "What are you going to do?"

Duo shook his head. "Stay here for now. You all going inside? I could use a bite to eat."

I watched Mr. Odin giving Miss Iria a hand with the last of the glassware, both people heading for the door. What was that? When had Rashid migrated over to Odin's shoulder, I wondered?

"Quatre?" Heero meowed to get my attention.

"Of course!" Where were my manners? "No one seems to care about what we're doing right now. We should go in and refresh ourselves."

"All of us?" Trowa asked. He was holding back.

"Certainly!" I made sure that Trowa didn't trail too far behind as we trotted through the garage, through the cat door, and into the kitchen. I was gracious if nothing else today. "You've been here before."

While Duo and Heero filled the bowl with kibble, I tried snuggling up to Trowa. He felt very strung out. I hoped nourishment would help. When I urged him to eat, he did, ravenously.

To make light of all that was happening, or had happened, or might be happening, I started rambling. "I think it will be very good for Heero to live in a nice home with other cats for company. And you know Duo will move in if at all possible."

My words did not bring Trowa the comfort I'd hoped they would. He still seemed very tense. "Trowa? Is there something I can do? You seem so… tense."

"Oh, Kitty-Cat," Duo chimed in, "I'll bet there is-!" I couldn't ignore Duo's noise or Heero's paw smacking his mouth to shut up his dear friend, but I tried.

Trowa snorted either in response to Duo or just all the little irritations in general.

I did think of something else that might have been troubling him. "I'm sorry, Trowa. You must be feeling left out of all this. You know how important you are to me, don't you?"

"I leave you on your own for a few days and next I find you've collected a harem."

"Oh, no! Now, you know that's not what… they just followed us out-!" I stopped babbling, coming to the realization that possibly Trowa was teasing me, and just played along. "Well, meet the new me." I spun around so he could admire me from all angles. When I stopped, I made a serious issue of looking him over carefully. "I see you managed to assemble an entire posse of mercenaries to come after me."

"To save your ass," Duo pre-empted, before being silenced by Heero with a tongue swiping.

I led them out of the kitchen. I wanted to demonstrate to my friends how I could sing and play. We stopped in front of the _newish_ piano and I hopped onto the bench.

Trowa's tail twitched. "And now I'm supposed to be excited to have half the cats in the neighborhood moving in on my territory?" he growled.

I wondered how serious he was, how bothered he was. I tried a little more teasing. "Your territory? It's my house—oh!"

His ears flattened and he appeared terribly distraught! He must really have been afraid I was replacing him with all my new friends! "Oh, Trowa! You're always welcome here, you know."

"That's good to know, I mean, you already settled all that, didn't you?" Duo asked Trowa. "Ah, you told Kitty-cat about your plans, didn't you?"

No, he hadn't. I gazed up at Trowa and waited politely for him to speak. He'd swiftly gone mute, and it was definitely Trowa's turn to say something. I waited. Duo and Heero waited. I could tell he was ready when he gazed into my eyes and his ears flickered.

"I couldn't just…" He spoke haltingly. I could tell he was very emotional. I hurt inside for him. "…just _hope_ to see you every so often, could I? Optimistically, that wouldn't be very often while the circus was on, and, worse, it was preparing to leave. You know, go on the road, for the rest of summer."

"What? Oh, no1 I didn't know!" How could I? I knew nothing about his life as a circus performer. "How horrible!"

"That's what I felt, too. I'd never see you then or… maybe ever again. I couldn't live that way! So I made a decision. I left the circus that day. I was coming to find you and tell you, when I ran into… the others and they told me how you'd been… abducted."

What he meant finally soaked in. He'd left his job to come to my rescue! I was so surprised I couldn't breathe!

"Quatre, did I make a mistake?"

Breathe!

"Oh, Trowa! No! I mean I'm so happy you're here… here to stay! You mean to stay, don't you?! You are welcome to live here. We'll make room!"

"You know, you outta stop the pussyfooting around and just _tell_ each other how crazy you are about one another!" Duo insisted, adroitly avoiding a sideswipe from Heero with some fancy footwork.

"Oh, well-I ah…" I didn't know exactly if this was the time or place for intimate discussions.

Trowa leaped from the floor to the piano lid and peered over the side at me. "If that's what it takes to secure my place," Trowa said with a very arousing growl. "You're not my first love, but you're my last."

"I am?! Oh, that's… wonderful !"

We walked over the piano keys together; a tune tapped out and a harmony added in stride. We made the loveliest music I'd ever heard.

And no one shouted at us to stop.

And that's everything, including the cat's meow.

**The End.**


End file.
